Allie & Natalie Run Away
by breannacarter
Summary: Co-written with LenniLuvsBrian. Peter and Elizabeth take in 2 foster kids who happen to be Neal's children. And like Neal, Allie & Natalie bring a lot of trouble! Story contains spanking of minors and adults. Do not read if offended.
1. Allie & Natalie Run Away

_Spanking series, co-written with_ _ **LenniLuvsBrian**_ _, mostly M/f, mostly non-consensual_

 _ **A/N**_ _: This is an AU in which Neal and Alex have two daughters. Background is explained throughout the story._

 _ **Series Summary**_ _: 12-year-old Natalie is an independent and rebellious pre-teen, who has been taking care of her little sister, Allie (age 6). When their mom is arrested, the girls run away to find their father, only to end up in the care of an FBI agent and his wife instead._

 _ **Chapter 1 Summary**_ _: After police come for their mother, sisters Allie and Natalie feel they have no choice but to steal money from strangers and plot an adventure to find their father in California. The problem is that Allie tries to steal from the wrong person, and both girls end up in an uncomfortable position…_

-x-x-x-x-

When the police pounded on the door of her apartment, 12-year-old Natalie Morgan did what she'd been taught to do: she grabbed her barefoot little sister and shoved her out of the window onto the fire escape, climbing their way down to the street. Allie was almost crying until Natalie shushed her. "Hey, calm down, we're gonna be fine."

"I want Mommy!" Allie insisted tearfully as she followed her sister. "And my shoes! I want my shoes!" She was scared and didn't fully understand what was going on, just knew that the ground was hurting her feet and that the cops who had been banging on the door were super scary.

People on the street turned to look at the girls now, but Natalie knew how to deal with nosey neighbors. Putting on her best sad little girl face, she gave a dramatic sigh as she squatted down to her sister's level, tears in her eyes. "Don't worry. We won't let that bad man get away with stealing your shoes." Gasps could be heard amongst the crowd. Natalie hoisted her sister onto her side even though she was getting a bit big for it now. The 6-year-old's legs were almost as long as Natalie's, so it looked really funny to be carrying her like that.

But it worked - within 10 minutes, a nice gentleman bought them a fresh pair of shoes and 2 ice cream cones.

"Thank you!" Allie told the man once the shoes were on her feet and ice cream in her hands. She liked when people gave them things as it made her feel special. She also liked to put on her cute act and get attention for it.

But then the man went to call the police to report the crime, so Natalie grabbed Allie's hand and they ran off; she had a plan, and that involved no cops. The plan was to find their dad - he'd disappeared when Allie was a baby, but Natalie could remember him clearly: the way he smiled at her when he was proud, and hugged her when she was scared, and the glare from his blue eyes when she was in trouble. She wanted to find him mostly for Allie. But also, she had a thing or two she wanted to let him know, including how pissed she was that he'd left, and how she was doing just fine without him. But maybe since their mom was going to jail now, they could live with their dad. Natalie had always wondered what it'd be like to live with her dad.

"Where are we going?" Allie demanded. "I want to go home!"

"We're goin' on an adventure to find Dad," Natalie said.

Allie liked adventures except when they frightened her, and at the moment she felt kind of scared. There had been the loud noises, then hurrying out of the apartment, now the mention of a father whom she'd never met? Something seemed fishy. "Why can't we stay with Mommy?"

Instead of answering one of Allie's millions of questions, Natalie decided a distraction would help: "C'mon, let's play 'find the wallet'." That was their favorite game to play together - the little one would stand someplace by herself and start crying, then as strangers approached her to help, the pre-teen would eventually turn up, and they would take turns snatching wallets. Natalie was quicker than her little sister, so usually ended up with more items. But Allie was much better at distracting their prey and following Natalie's lead. They were great at teamwork.

As suspected, Allie's frown turned upside down. "Okay! I'm good at that game!"

She excitedly found a crowd and started crying as if on cue. It was mostly because she was still a little freaked out about the cops, but also because she knew how to cry on command. People started gathering around her to see what was wrong. She just cried and blubbered jibberish.

Natalie darted through the crowd, grabbing wallets and cash as she ran towards her sister. "Allie, thank goodness! I thought I'd lost you!" She embraced the little girl tightly, shedding a few tears herself for dramatic effect, though she had to admit that the tears were also kind of genuine as she was scared, too... especially because the address she had for her dad was all the way in California. That meant that she and Allie would have to find enough money and figure out how to get all the way across the country!

The crowd started thinning, and Natalie shot a slight grin at her sister. "Thank you for your help, sir," she said to the nearest passerby, then took her sister's hand and walked in the opposite direction of their apartment.

A few blocks down, they hopped onto a crowded bus without paying, riding only a few blocks before playing the game again. They'd played about 4 times and collected over $200 when Natalie started feeling uneasy. She sensed that Allie wanted to play again - this was the most animated she'd seen her all day.

She was right.

"Let's play some more!" Allie insisted. "I love this game!"

Yes, Allie was definitely feeling much happier and animated now... Nothing like their favorite game to cheer her up! She ran a few feet from her sister and waited until it was crowded, then started fake crying again and doing her thing.

And as predicted, people hurried over to offer help and consolation.

The uneasy feeling in Natalie's stomach grew even stronger when she saw a familiar-looking man approach her sister. He was wearing a suit with a fancy hat and squatted down to her level to see what was wrong. Natalie could just sense that something was going to happen, and she wanted to warn Allie to abort her plan - don't try to steal from this man! But Allie wouldn't look in her direction.

"Hey, kid, what's wrong?" the man asked the little girl.

"I can't find my sister," Allie told him as she attempted to distract his attention while slyly eyeing the wallet in his pocket. "She told me to meet her here if I got lost." She reached towards his pocket and began to lift the wallet.

The man was expecting it, though. Just as Allie's finger's gripped the leather, the man took her wrist. "What's this?" he asked, holding her hand with the wallet in the air.

Natalie muttered bad words under her breath then ran out to her sister. "Hey! There you are, Allie." And when she locked eyes with the man, she realized why he'd looked so familiar...

But Allie was panicking and trying to yank away, yelling, "Let me go! Let me go!" She wasn't used to being caught so was going a little crazy. "I found my sister! Let me go!" She had no idea why this man was staring pointedly at her sister, and she didn't like that he wasn't letting go of her wrist. "Let me go before I bite you, Mister!"

"Let her go," Natalie commanded, eyes narrowed at the man. He complied with the girls' wishes, snatching his wallet and putting it back in his pocket, not taking his eyes from the two troublemakers. Natalie held her little sister close, petting her hair to calm her down, then when the guy broke eye contact, whispered to Allie: "That's our dad."

Allie leaned into her sister for protection, eyeing the man (her father?) carefully as an older and taller guy approached. "Is that why he wouldn't let me go?" she asked in a low voice. "And who's that and why's he look angry?" she asked nodding towards the tall man.

"Neal, what's going on?" The tall man asked their dad, then looked down at the girls. "Where's your mother?"

Natalie squeezed her sister's hand - their code for 'get ready to run!'

"She's over there," Natalie said, pointing behind them. As soon as the men turned their heads to look, Natalie darted away, dragging her sister along.

Allie stumbled a little at first but managed to keep up with her sister as best she could. Her legs were shorter though so sometimes it was hard.

It didn't take long for Neal to notice they had taken off, and he shouted: "Peter! They're running!" The two men gave chase, not wanting to lose the girls. Peter was with the FBI and knew these little criminals needed to be caught; Neal, on the other hand, just wanted to know what was going on with his daughters and why they were stealing from people.

"They're gaining on us Natty!" Allie exclaimed fearfully. "My legs aren't fast enough!"

"Quick! Over here!" Natalie said, making a sharp turn left into an alley, then grabbing her sister to hide behind the dumpster. They were both panting loudly, adrenaline at full force. Natalie tried to think of what to do as they heard the men running past the alley. "I think we got rid of 'em," she said.

"I hope so!" Allie replied softly as she tried to catch her breath.

"Let's ditch the wallets we took... just in case." Natalie dug through her backpack for the items they'd collected, putting all of the cash into a couple of different hiding spots. Then she gathered any evidence that could be used against them and tossed it into the dumpster.

But what were they going to do now? The plan had been for them to go find their dad... but apparently, he wasn't in California... he was here, right here in New York City!

This gave Natalie an idea. "Hey Allie, what if we just go back to our dad?"

Allie chewed on her lower lip a little. "Do you think he would want us Natty? I don't know him like you do... But he didn't look scary and mad like the other guy..."

Natalie held onto her sister's hand tightly. She could feel the cold ice cream in her stomach, rumbling around as if telling her something bad would happen. But she couldn't help it... She'd run out of other ideas. There was nothing else they could do, right? They were both nervous about leaving their hiding spot, but Allie was right: at least their dad didn't look as frightening as the other guy.

When the girls finally mustered up the courage to emerge, neither was paying much attention to their surroundings and Natalie smacked right into the tall guy, stopping her dead in her tracks. She hadn't realized they'd already been found. "Ummm..." was all she could say.

"Just where do you two think you're going?" Peter demanded.

Allie saw the confrontation and immediately turned to run the other way, only to see the Neal… her dad. She tried to dive between his legs as a last ditch effort to get away.

"Whoa, hold it there, kid." His hands latched onto Allie's shoulders, blocking any means of escape. "No running away."

A flash of panic swept over Allie and she glanced at her big sister, who just gave a slight shake of her head. "Where else can we go?" Natty said, defeated.

Heart thudding inside her chest and on the brink of tears, Allie turned to her dad who now squatted to the little girl's level, hoping to ease her fears some. Neal couldn't help but stare at her in awe - he'd never expected to see her again. "Where's your mom?"

"I dunno... scary people came banging at our door and Natty and me ran off..."

Without waiting for a further explanation from the 6-year-old, Peter turned to Natty. "Do you know who was at your door? Why are you on the run? What did you do with those wallets you two stole?"

"None of your business!" Natty sneered with an eye-roll. Then looking back at Neal, she said, "who is this old fart anyway?"

"Oh, that's Peter... and he works for the FBI."

Natalie's eyes darted back to the tall man. His brows were furrowed, hands on his hips revealing a badge and pair of handcuffs. Coming from a family of criminals, the preteen didn't have the best impression of law enforcement, and her immediate reaction was distrust and disgust. "What are you doing hanging out with the feds?"

"I could arrest you two for stealing, you know," said Peter in a firm voice. "Unless you tell us what is going on."

Cue Allie's meltdown. "I don't wanna go to jail!" She latched onto Neal feeling he was her safest choice right then. "I want my Mommy!"

Peter ignored the cries of the youngest as best he could. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

Natalie looked from Allie to Peter to Neal, then back to Peter again. "The wallets are in there," she finally admitted, pointing to the dumpster. Telling them about their mom was harder because she'd already seen an ankle monitor on her dad, which meant that he probably wouldn't be able to take care of them. The idea of having to live with strangers scared her even more than the FBI guy...

"How thoughtful of you," Peter grunted, cutting a glare at Neal. Then, looking back at Natalie, he said, "And what about your mother? Where is she exactly? So we can let her know just what you two were up to."

"She's gone... the cops came..." Natalie swallowed down the lump in her throat, begging herself not to cry. She couldn't show any vulnerability in front of these men.

A chuckle came from Peter as he shook his head. "So the whole family are criminals. Lovely."

"Better than being a fed!"

Before Peter could respond, Neal butted in, voice slightly trembling with worry. "We can't let them stay with just anyone." It was one of the few times he deeply regretted his past. All those forgeries, thefts, cons… none of it was worth having lost his daughters. If only he could go back...

"Then who do you suggest they stay with?" Peter demanded. "Your criminal buddies? Mozzie? Is that what you want for them, to continue the same path and end up in prison?"

Natalie piped up. "We weren't going to stay with just anyone... we were looking for our dad... Neal…" She looked towards him now and scowled, "But you were here this whole time and didn't have the decency to even visit us."

"Natty said we could stay with you!" Allie whimpered glancing up at Neal tearfully. "Don't you want us?"

Neal sighed. "It's not that easy. Look, let's just take them to get cleaned up then we can talk about this calmly..."

"AFTER they return the wallets," Peter grumbled.

The preteen folded her arms. "I'm NOT going in that dumpster. If you want the wallets, get 'em yourself."

Peter stepped forward, towering over her and folding his arms as well. As an FBI Agent, Peter's demeanor was naturally domineering and scary, so he wasn't used to bratty adolescents challenging his orders. Of course, being Neal Caffrey's daughter, she was going to need an extra push to behave. " _You_ will get the wallets and return them to their rightful owners, even if I have to throw you in the dumpster myself, and drag you by the ear to each person individually."

They stood toe-to-toe and Natalie used every ounce of self-control to keep herself from shoving the old man out of her face (not that it would've been physically possible for her to do that). Their eyes were locked on each other, creating tension so thick you could probably cut it with a knife.

Allie was the first to break the silence. "I'm not going in there! It's scary and there's spiders and monsters!" she shrieked, fresh tears streaming down her freckled cheeks as she latched on to her father.

"I'll get it," Neal offered.

And that was the moment that Allie's admiration for her father began. Anyone who would save her from scary dumpsters was definitely a superhero!

Natalie, on the other hand, scoffed, "It's the least you could do, considering all the shit you put us through these last six years…"

A pang ripped through his chest, but Neal ignored it and just took off his suit jacket, folding it neatly and placing it in Allie's arms. He also placed his hat on top of her curly brown hair, but it was so big on her that it fell over her eyes causing her to giggle. As she pushed the hat back up, Allie saw her father jump inside the bin, then hop back out seconds later, stolen wallets in tow. He handed them to Peter with a smirk.

"It's not funny, Neal. These girls need discipline. A firm hand."

Neal reached for his jacket and glanced over Peter's shoulder to see Agent Jones waiting for them, which meant Peter had probably planned to take the girls back to the office. Before that happened, he needed to take care of some unfinished business. Looking back at his boss, Neal said, "Hey, let me talk to them for a minute."

Peter wanted to object, but Neal's pleading look was convincing enough. "One minute."

When they were free of the feds, Neal and his two daughters stood in a huddle. "I know you took money from the wallets. You're smart kids, but I can't let you get away with this... I don't want you to go down the same road I did..."

"Natty always holds the money 'cause I would prolly lose it and then we'd have played our game for nothing."

Despite being a pro at lying, Allie could sometimes be overly honest, which was one of Natalie's biggest pet peeves. She gave her little sister an aggressive nudge to shut her up, then reached for the wad of money she'd stashed away, leaving a few bucks behind in case of emergency. When she put the bills in Neal's hands, he said nothing, just motioned for her to give up the rest.

"You were out of my life for 6 years and now you think you can come around playing dad, acting like you know me? Acting like you care?"

"I have my reasons for not being around," Neal stated firmly. "And I regret that I wasn't there for you, but we will talk about that later. But right now I need you to hand over the rest of the money, Natalie. You have no idea what you're getting yourselves into if this stealing doesn't stop…"

Glaring at her father, Natty pulled out a few more dollars and shoved it into his hands.

"I wanna go home," Allie insisted, though she felt like no one was really listening to her.

"C'mon, we returned the money, now we should be allowed to go," Natalie said, trying to snatch her sister from her dad.

"Natalie… wait…"

She didn't get very far before Peter noticed the commotion and walked towards them. "What's going on?"

As Neal explained everything, fat tears began streaming down Allie's face again. She was feeling so confused and ignored and scared. And the memories of the day's events wouldn't stop swirling around in her head, causing her to feel even more confused and ignored and scared. "Nattyyyy... you said we'd have a daddy… I don't understand what's going on..." She tugged at her big sister's shirt, whining louder. "Let's just gooooo…." As her feelings strengthened, so did Allie's cries, and before too long she was sobbing and hiccupping until the conversation stopped and Neal scooped her into his arms for a hug.

Natalie had tears in her eyes, too, suddenly feeling a little scared herself, too.

"I'll let Jones sort this," Peter said waving around the wallets. "Let's go figure out what to do with you girls."

-x-x-x-x-

"Pack your things… Don't worry if you can't get everything at once, we'll come back for more another time. I'll be in there in a few minutes. First, Peter and I need to have a talk."

Natalie had sulked the whole car ride back to her apartment, not sure what her father was planning, but certain that she wouldn't like it! Anything having to do with the feds and the foster care system was NOT going to go over well with her.

While her big sister pondered possible escape plans, Allie stuffed her favorite belongings into a backpack: a few stuffed animals, her fuzzy blanket, some small toys. And then she tried to add in her clothes but only managed to shove in two pairs of shoes (she'd never be left barefoot again!) before running out of space. No matter how much she tried to squeeze more things in, nothing else would fit, so she groaned in frustration and peered over at her big sister. The plan had been to ask for help, but then she noticed that Natalie wasn't packing. "Natty? Where are we going? What's gonna happen to us?"

"We're gonna escape again. Are you ready?" She glanced out of the door, noticing that her dad was staring straight at her as if expecting that she was going to bolt again.

Allie looked upset once more. "I thought we were going with our daddy? You said that was the plan..." She liked the man who was supposedly their daddy; he seemed nice and not scary.

"But we'll get in trouble for playing our game," Natalie said, shivering slightly. "And didn't you hear him? It's complicated. I saw that thing on his ankle. They're gonna end up putting us with strangers! And maybe in different homes!"

Allie looked terrified. "I don't wanna go away from you! You're all I got!" She ran up and tackled her sister in a hug. "Don't let them take me, Natty… I'm scared."

"So we have to go then… C'mon… before they catch us..."

It was too late though - Allie's squeal had gotten Neal's attention, so he'd excused himself from the front room to go check on her. "Everything okay?"

Matching blue eyes peered towards the doorway, a little startled by their father's sudden arrival. As soon as Natty realized who it was, she scowled in his direction, "No, we're not okay. You want to put us in the system, give us away to strangers!" Adrenaline had kicked in by then and the preteen wasn't thinking clearly. She saw running as the only option, and as Neal crept into their space, she bolted towards the window, expecting Allie to follow.

"Wait… let me explain..." Neal pleaded, reaching for her arm and catching the annoyed preteen just in time.

"No! _Leave_. _Me_. _Alone_!" She broke free from his grip and ran in the opposite direction, towards the front door. She almost made it out, too, except she ran right into Peter... again!

"Natty! Natty! You forgot me!" Allie wailed as she toddled after her big sister in tears.

But before the little imp could escape, Neal snatched her up and squeezed her in a hug, attempting to offer some comfort. "Don't worry, she's not going to leave you," he promised, knowing Peter would take care of Natalie. "C'mere." He sat down on what appeared to be Allie's bed - it was messy and had her ratty, faded Barney blanket kicked to the end. A forgotten stuffed teddy lay face down next to her pillow; it looked like the same one he'd given Natalie 6 years ago. "Your sister is going to be fine, she's just going to talk to Peter while I talk to you." Sensing that Allie was still feeling a little scared, he did the famous "quarter behind the ear" magic trick. Knowing that a quarter wasn't much, he even turned the quarter into a $1 bill, just for her.

It worked. Allie was easily distracted by the magic trick, staring up at her daddy in awe. "Again! Again!"

As requested, Neal made a few different dollar bills appear from behind her ear (until he ran out of cash), then showed her some other tricks. Once she was calm enough, he pushed the door shut and took off his suit jacket. "Allie, we need to talk about what happened earlier."

Her head cocked to the side like a puppy. "What about earlier?"

"The game you were playing with Natalie. What was that about?"

A smile spread across her face, innocence in her blue eyes. "It was to see who could trick them people the best and get the most wallets! It's my favorite game! I'm good at tricking people! It's fun!"

"Listen, I hate to burst your bubble, but you can't do that. It's illegal."

Allie blinked in confusion and shook her head. "No, it's not. It's just a game. It's like a big joke. I like jokes."

"Kid, you took their money... you stole it," Neal said, pulling her closer towards him. "It's okay to play jokes on people... sometimes," he said, hoping she didn't take what he said too literally. "But you can't take people's things, or hurt them." He showed the little girl his ankle bracelet. "Do you know what that is?"

"No. Is it jewelry?"

"It's from the government. It means I was caught doing bad things, so now they watch everything I do. And I don't want that to happen to you."

Allie looked at him confused. "Are they like a babysitter?"

"Something like that, but worse."

"That doesn't sound fun," she said with a frown.

"It's not. And Peter would think you need to be punished for this... so since we don't want you to go to jail, I think it's time you learned what a spanking is. It's what going to happen when you or Natalie break the rules."

Allie looked at him quite alarmed. "But I don't think I wanna know what a spanking is! It sounds scary and not fun! I don't like scary un-fun things!" Her eyes filled with crocodile tears.

"It will be over before ya know it," Neal said.

-x-x-x-x-

In the living room, Natalie was now sitting next to Peter, arms folded though she was a bit intrigued by the news he'd just given her. As she eyed him she asked, "What do you mean we're gonna move in with you? Why would you do something like that?"

"My wife and I are foster parents. So you can stay with your sister and still have contact with your father… Neal."

Her eyes rolled. "Ugh! As if I want to have contact with that asshole. He just up and left us one day and then didn't even care enough to call."

Well, what could he say? She wasn't wrong. "You have the right to feel however you want."

The fact that Peter wasn't arguing and displayed a calm demeanor helped Natalie relax a little, though she still sat on the edge of her seat, ready to bolt at any moment. Her eyes suspiciously scanned the FBI agent. He was sitting erect, hands resting on his legs, palms up as if he were meditating. His freshly pressed suit and tie were half as fancy as Neal's, giving Natty the indication that he wasn't superficial enough to leave her for an expensive art piece like her father had.

"But if you're staying with me there are going to be rules and consequences."

Ugh, there always had to be a catch. "I don't do well with rules."

"I've noticed that you're not a fan, but if you want to stay with your sister, you're going to have to give it a go."

"Sounds like we don't have much of a choice," Natty muttered, finally allowing a tear to slide down her cheeks.

"You always have a choice. You can stay with your sister and come live with me, or you can be turned over to the state and they'll decide where you'll stay."

Natalie shot him a glare. As if that was really a choice! "Fine, I guess I'd rather stay with you."

"I think that's a wise choice." He allowed her a moment for it to sink in before he continued. "Now we have to talk about earlier... What in the world did you think you were doing stealing all that money? You could be charged with a felony for pulling a stunt like that."

"We needed money to get to California," Natalie replied with a shrug, convinced that her actions were justified.

Peter shook his head as he spoke in a firm tone. "What you did was wrong. Do you realize how lucky you are that we caught you and no one else? You could end up in juvie, or worse." He paused for effect, causing her to look away until he lifted her chin to peer into her watery blue eyes. "That type of behavior needs consequences, and in this case, it will be a spanking."

It felt like her heart literally stopped. That hadn't been the punishment she'd expected! Not that she'd even ever been punished before. "I dunno about that..."

-x-x-x-x-

In the girls' room, Neal tried to keep Allie calm while beckoning her forth. "Would you feel more comfortable with Natty here?"

Crocodile tears still falling, the 6-year-old shook her head. "The only thing that would m-make me feel b-better is to not get a s-spanking," she whimpered. Her instinct was to squirm away from Neal, but after a couple seconds, she latched onto him tightly, not wanting to let go.

Neal just sighed and smothered her in a hug. Poor kid, he felt so sorry for her and probably would end up considering her his favorite since he felt guilty for never having been a part of her life. "Everything's gonna be alright," he promised as he lifted her up onto his lap and let her nuzzle in, then showed another magic trick while pondering that it may not be possible to bring himself to actually spank her.

"I wanna learn how to do the tricks! I wanna trick Natty." Sitting on her daddy's lap made Allie feel safe finally, and she was thoroughly enjoying being the center of attention - something she hadn't felt often with her mom. She was also hopeful that the magic would provide a good distraction so that Neal wouldn't follow through on his spanking threat.

Clapping sounds rang through the apartment and Neal looked down at Allie. "I'll teach you a magic trick after the spanking," he said. Not wanting to take the chance of her getting away, in a swift moment he placed her over his lap and planted a few light swats onto her backside.

Allie shrieked as she squirmed to try and get away. "NO MISTER!" She was not happy her distraction plan had failed. "NO! NO! NO!"

"No more stealing, Allie, okay?" Neal lectured between swats, holding onto her tightly. "I'm going easy on you this time. Peter won't be so easy next time."

Angry legs pounded against the bed. "Owwww! Don't make me bite you, Mister!"

"Hey! No biting!" he scolded then gave her a final pop on the bottom and let her up. "I wasn't tough on you this time, kid, but next time you may not be so lucky."

Allie whimpered as she sat up in his lap and gave him a pouty glare. "That was mean!" She folded her arms with a "hmph!" and turned away, disgruntled with him for having administered the punishment. Even when he tried to wrap his arms around her tiny frame, the little girl stayed contrary, uninterested in his affection (though she didn't move from his lap). It wasn't until he started doing magic again that her face brightened and she became animated, ready for her dad to make good on his promise to teach her some tricks of her own.

-x-x-x-x-

In the living room, Natalie was getting the scolding of her life. She was staring at the hardwood floor through her dark bangs, clenching her fists to brace for the pain. Being over Peter's lap made her feel so small, like a little girl of Allie's age, especially knowing that Peter was in a position of strong authority and could fight much better than she (though the boxing classes with her mom had helped develop Natty's skills). There was no escaping the spanking.

"I won't have you stealing and being dishonest. If it happens again your pants will be coming down and you'll get it on your bare bottom." He rained his hand down on her jean-clad bottom, hard enough that she'd feel it, but not even close to as severe as she probably deserved. But seeing as it was her first punishment he, like Neal, decided to go a little easier on her.

The preteen kicked and squirmed but tried to keep her cries to a minimum to maintain some ounce of dignity. "Owww! That hurts!" she squealed, reaching her hand back to block. "Ok ok ok! I learned my lessonnn!"

Peter easily grabbed hold of her hand and said, "I will decide when you have learned your lesson." He increased the intensity of the spanks a bit. "You are old enough to know that stealing is wrong, and you shouldn't be encouraging your sister to steal as well."

"We didn't have a chooooice," Natalie whined, kicking her legs more and beginning to feel the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"As I told you before, you always have a choice," Peter told her. "There will be no more stealing, understood?"

He kept spanking.

"Y-yessss," she said, wiggling over his lap and kicking a little.

"You're a good kid and don't need to get mixed up in bad things," Peter added as he landed five hearty smacks to her backside. He stopped then and rubbed her back giving her a moment to catch her breath before easing her back up.

Being called a good kid rang in the preteen's ears. She'd never been told that and hadn't realized how nice it'd be to hear. Just as Natalie opened her mouth to tell Peter this information, Neal and Allie came into the room and she lost her train of thought, running straight to her lil sis and tackling her in a hug.

"You forgot me!" Allie accused, then added, "I learned a magic trick!"

"Sorry, I was just scared and my legs just started running... I'll never leave you like that again, AllieCat." She ruffled the kid's hair and said, "Let's see that magic trick," then looking at her dad asked, "do you live with Peter, too?"

"He doesn't," Peter answered. "But I'm sure you will see him plenty."

Allie bounced as showed her sister the quarter trick, "Neal knows lots of tricks, Natty!"

"Cool! You'll have to show me how you do it," Natalie said, grabbing her little sister's hand and stooping down a little to her level. "Hey Allie, we're gonna stay with Peter for a bit until we can live with Neal again, okay?" She knew that her little sis was scared, so gave her another hug. "He's okay, he's not as scary as he looks."

Allie eyed the tall man warily as she hugged her sister. "But I wanna stay with Neal now. He's not scary." She pouted and clung to her sister a little tighter.

"He would just leave you again," Natty began, only to be overpowered by Peter.

"Your father can't right now, but I'm sure as soon as he finishes his sentence…"

Ignoring Natalie's piercing words, Neal looked down at his girls. "And Peter has a bigger house anyway... you'll get a big room, just for you!"

Peter nodded. "You can each have your own room and my wife will be more than happy to help you decorate them."

"But I don't like you," Allie spat, frown deepening. "You're scary and not my daddy! I won't go with you!"

"Alliecat, let's just look at the place first and then later you can decide if you wanna stay or not," Natty interjected. Clearly, these adults didn't know how to handle the six-year-old.

She wasn't happy, but Allie agreed anyway, reaching up for her dad to hold her. Neal took Allie's bag and then placed her on his shoulders, letting her feel taller than everyone. The oldest child, of course, looked on jealously, wishing her dad would show her a little more love instead of being so attached to Allie. But whatever. She just went to her room to pack a few more things, then came out minutes later, a negative attitude like a typical pre-teen. "Let's go," she said, leading the group out of the apartment.

-x-x-x-x-

After what felt like hours in traffic, Peter finally pulled into the driveway of his Brooklyn home. He was happy to arrive but suddenly felt a little uneasy... Hopefully, his wife would approve of their new little house guests.

"I'm hungry!" Allie announced as she got out of the car.

Peter's wife, Elizabeth, met them outside. "Hi Hon, hey Neal," she said with a smile on her face. "And who do we have here?"

"Elizabeth, I'd like you to meet my daughters, Allie and Natalie," Neal said.

She bent down to shake Allie's hand, and then to shake Natalie's. "Neal, I didn't know you had kids?"

"Neither did I," Peter told her. "He's just full of surprises."

Allie tugged on Neal's hand. "Are we gonna eat and do more magic?"

Elizabeth smiled. "You're in luck... I just made dinner. Come on in." She held open the front door for the guests then took Peter aside. "What's going on?"

"I told Neal we would take the girls in." His wife's questioning look prompted Peter to fill her in on the story, handling with care the way he told details, especially the pickpocketing.

"Pickpocketing?!" El nearly shrieked when they were interrupted by the loud clamor of a cell phone. It was Jones.

"We're short some of the money... you sure neither of the girls stole any?"

Peter groaned. "I'll check and get back to you." He hung up and shook his head.

"Is everything okay?" Neal asked, now walking towards them and distracting the two from their conversation. When Peter explained the phone call, Neal muttered something under his breath and shot a disapproving glare at Natalie. "I have a feeling I know who has it."

Elizabeth took this as her cue to take the little one to the kitchen. "C'mon Allie, you must be starving!"

"Boy am I ever, lady!" Allie said, hurrying after El who pushed the door open, introducing the kid to the family dog, Satchmo, who greeted them happily, tail wagging. "Doggy!" Allie exclaimed, practically tackling him in a hug, then they all disappeared.

Left alone with her dad and Peter, Natty raised her eyebrows in suspicion, scared to be in trouble again. As they stared her down she felt smaller and smaller.

"I want full honesty," Peter said, inching closer towards her. He was slightly annoyed but understood Natalie's reluctance to come forward. "Jones called to say some money was missing. Did you return everything you stole?"

Natalie blushed profusely. "Oh, sorry, I forgot about it..." she half-lied, digging into her sock and taking out the last of what she'd stashed away. So much for keeping some in case of emergency. "Here ya go," she said, putting the bundle of cash in his hand and running off to join her sister and Elizabeth. Leaving quickly would help avoid the possibility of getting spanked again.

Little did she know that Peter actually felt a rush of relief at her honesty and happy she'd handed the money over without argument.

When Natalie entered the kitchen, Elizabeth was putting down the plates while Allie attempted to set the silverware. "Do you girls like pot roast?"

"What's pot roast?" Allie asked. "Did you roast a pot?"

"No, silly," Elizabeth said.

Natalie piped up, "it's just roast beef, right?" she asked. She could get used to this family thing, especially because the food smelled so good. Her stomach had started growling... she couldn't wait to eat!

"Natty? Do I like roast beef?" Allie asked.

"Sure, you'll try anything at least once," Natalie said.

Peter popped inside the kitchen. "Hon, I have to run to the office for a bit but I'll be back later."

"Come sit and eat with us first..." Elizabeth begged. "We already set your place."

Peter weighed his options. It was important that he return the money and sort out the girls' legal status, but he couldn't do it on an empty stomach. So he smiled and said, "okay, but I can't stay long."

Allie nodded. "Yeahh! Let's eat!"

-x-x-x-x-

After dinner, Peter left Neal showing Allie more magic tricks, and Natalie surprisingly helping Elizabeth do the dishes. Finally, Elizabeth said, "do you girls want to see your rooms?" Neither was used to having her own room before since they shared a room in their old apartment.

"I do! I do!" Allie agreed easily. She was very excited about having her own room, hoping that she could finally get My Little Pony bedding like she wanted instead of having to use her ratty old Barney one.

Elizabeth motioned for them to follow her upstairs and they eagerly did. Neal followed close behind, stopping Natalie before she went in with Allie. "What do you want?" she snapped.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for leaving... your mom and I couldn't live together anymore and..."

"It doesn't matter, okay? It's over." She walked into Allie's room and smiled. "It's bigger than our old room!"

Allie was twirling about in excitement trying to take it all in. "It will be pink and blue and sparkly and full of ponies!"

Elizabeth then showed Natalie to her room, which was equally big, and Natalie felt as excited as Allie. "Thanks for this," she told Elizabeth and gave her a hug. She was almost looking forward to having this new family. Almost.


	2. Allie & Natalie in the FBI

_Spanking series, co-written with_ _ **LenniLuvsBrian**_ _, mostly M/f, mostly non-consensual_

 _ **A/N**_ _: This is an AU in which Neal and Alex have two daughters. Background is explained throughout the story._

 _ **Series Summary**_ _: 12-year-old Natalie is an independent and rebellious pre-teen, who has been taking care of her little sister, Allie (age 6). When their mom is arrested, the girls run away to find their father, only to end up in the care of an FBI agent and his wife instead._

 _ **Chapter 2 Summary**_ _: Allie and Natalie are stuck going to work with their foster dad, who enlists in the help of a fellow FBI agent to watch over them while he's busy with a case. The only problem is that waiting for him becomes excruciatingly boring and the girls need a new form of entertainment. Their creativity and wits can help pass the time, but won't keep them out of trouble._

-x-x-x-x-

The warm rays of sunshine stirred Natalie, and for a minute she wondered if yesterday had all been a dream. Silently praying that it had, she allowed her eyes to peel open and gaze out at the unfamiliar bedroom. Of course it hadn't been a dream… nothing ever worked out the way she wanted. But at least she was alone. At least she could figure out an escape plan without being interrupted.

Except her stomach growled, signaling that she'd have to eat before getting any thinking done. So she staggered out of the bedroom towards the kitchen, shielding her eyes from the blinding sunlight that spilled in from all seven curtainless windows. Allie was already up and about, tossing a tennis ball to Satchmo, her loud giggles ringing through the air. She was so happy that she was even carrying on a one-sided conversation with Peter. The realization that Allie had already made this her home made a sick feeling creep into Natalie's stomach.

"Good morning sleepyhead," Peter said with a smile as he flipped a pancake into the air. "Are you hungry?"

Natalie groaned and plopped down at the table.

"That's a yes," Allie translated, continuing to babble to Peter like she had been before her big sister barged in. "And Satchmo and I are gonna be best friends! We had a long talk about it... Natty, Satchmo slept in my bed last night! Can you believe it?"

Natalie responded with a grunt, staring at the pancakes and wishing that she could be a little kid again. Then she wouldn't have so much pressure from everyone to always do things right and always take care of everyone. Allie had no idea how lucky she was… she didn't have to worry about being responsible or anything yet. And even though Peter would supposedly be taking care of them, Natalie couldn't help but feel suspicious that he'd end up like all the rest of the adults in her life - selfish and absent.

She was about to offer to make coffee when Neal burst through the back door uninvited, wearing a big smile that was way too happy for it to be so early in the morning. "Good morning, Betty Crocker," he teased at Peter.

"Ha, ha, very funny. El already had that Chicago event planned for tomorrow. She had to fly out early this morning."

Before he could answer, Allie squealed, "Neal!" and she ran for her father, arms wide open.

Neal knelt down and scooped Allie up in a hug. "Did you sleep well?"

"Satchmo kept me safe!" Allie enthused as she wrapped her arms about his neck. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Kid," Neal replied as he glanced at Natalie. "Morning."

Natalie gave a nod of acknowledgment, trying to ignore the little pang of jealousy that ripped through her at the sight of the two of them together. Instead, she turned back to Peter. "Where do you keep the coffee?"

Peter glanced at Natalie as he flopped a couple of pancakes onto a plate. "You're a little young for coffee."

Natalie rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh! I hate this place!" she roared and thrust her chair back almost knocking it to the floor, then bolted out the back door, tears brimming her eyes.

Allie frowned. It made her nervous when her sister said she didn't like their new home. Even if it was better than what they'd had before, she was still uneasy at times and her sister wasn't helping her to feel any better. Fortunately, Neal caught onto her negative feelings and distracted her by asking questions about Satchmo, who'd followed Natalie outside. Any conversation about Satchmo would be a sufficient distraction.

In the meantime, Peter finished up the last few pancakes and contemplated what he was going to do with Natalie. She wasn't even a teenager yet, and already had an attitude! Sure, she'd had a rough life, but that didn't justify her outbursts and rebellion.

Peter solicited the help of Neal and Allie to set the table, then called out to Natalie to come eat. Of course, she didn't come - she was too busy pouting on the tire swing as Satchmo wagged his tail trying to convince her to play with him. "Go away, stupid dog," she muttered, taking the ball from him and throwing it as hard as she could.

Peter glanced at her through the window, sighing. "Neal, you should go talk to her."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Neal asked, peering out at Natalie.

"Yes. Go," Peter ordered, sitting down beside Allie, who was digging eagerly into her pancakes, too distracted by the food to pay attention to Peter and her father.

Neal trudged outside, not looking forward to this conversation. He knew she wanted nothing to do with him, and couldn't really blame her... He'd been a really crappy dad and didn't really deserve for her to give him the time of day. But Peter had insisted, and he also couldn't blame him. Somebody had to talk to the errant preteen… and Peter had dealt with her all night, so it was his turn.

He leaned against the tree, looking down at her for a minute before speaking. "You know, it's really not so bad here. Peter may be a little rough on the edges, but he's a good guy. And you'll always have a nice, safe place with people who care about you."

Satchmo came galloping back with the ball, wagging his tail happily.

Natalie snatched the ball from Satchmo and narrowed her eyes at Neal, turning away from him and throwing the ball for Satchmo again. She didn't feel like talking to her father at all. She'd rather deal with Peter than her sperm donor.

"You know, eventually you're going to have to talk to me," Neal reminded her. When she didn't answer, he added, "Natalie… I didn't plan on staying away so long."

She continued to ignore him, swinging back and forth. Satchmo came back with the tennis ball and Natalie entertained him for a few minutes, begging for tears not to fall. She wasn't going to let Neal think he could get the best of her.

Peter looked on from inside, worried at how this was going. He glanced down at the happy 6-year-old, stuffing her face full of pancakes. It felt like he should make conversation, but wasn't quite sure how to start it.

Allie felt Peter looking at her, so she glanced up at him curiously. "Are we doing something fun today?"

"What would you like to do?" He was better at asking questions than answering them.

"I like going to the park," Allie told him. "And going to the toy store… and I wanna go to the zoo and..."

He nodded, making a mental note of her favorite places to go. "The park sounds like a great idea, there's a nice one around..." He was interrupted by the loud shrill of his cell phone. Groaning, he glanced at it to see he was being called from the office. How frustrating - he'd already taken the day off!

Neal was also quite frustrated as he continued trying to reason with Natalie: "When I left that day I had intended to come back..."

"Yeah, but you didn't," Natalie interrupted with an icy glare.

Neal went towards the preteen, now standing in front of her and holding onto the rope so she couldn't turn. "Natalie, I'm…" but he, too, was cut off.

"Neal," Peter called from the doorway. "We have work to do."

"I thought we were free today?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

But Peter just shook his head, muttering something they couldn't understand.

"What about the kids?"

-x-x-x-x-

An hour later, Peter arrived at the office, two kids and Neal in tow. Allie was fascinated with the rows and rows of computers, and almost got lost when she ran towards a couple of FBI dogs in the hallway. Natalie, on the other hand, was still pouting. She was now avoiding both Neal and Peter, angry that they didn't trust her enough to stay home alone. She was 12 years old for goodness sake! Not a baby!

Peter found an unsuspecting newbie agent and pawned the children off on him. Before leaving to solve his case, he stooped down to Allie's level and eyed both girls. "If you two are good for Agent Smith, we'll go to the park as soon as we're finished here." Glancing at Natalie he added, "and something special for you, too." He had no idea what she'd want but hoped it would be enough incentive for her to behave.

Allie's eyes lit up with excitement. "I'll be super good!" she gushed. "I haven't been to the park in forever!"

Natalie was happy that at least Peter remembered she existed, which is more than her actual dad seemed to do. But this was going to be suuuuper boring.

The girls and Agent Smith were locked away in a plain grey room with nothing but a lonely table and a half-dozen ugly chairs that didn't even squiggle or have wheels for them to use as entertainment. Natalie looked at her little sis, feeling like a criminal. What were they supposed to do for the next few hours? Neal had left them with a deck of cards and nothing else, not even a phone. This was torture!

Allie glanced around the small room then nudged her big sister. "We should explore," she whispered. "This place is huge! And they've got doggies!" Her voice squeaked with excitement as she struggled to contain herself.

Looking at Agent Smith Natalie asked, "can we play with the dogs?"

The rookie agent didn't bother answering, just laughed and looked back to his phone.

Natalie sighed and tried to distract Allie. "Show me the trick Neal taught you."

"Okay!" Allie grinned widely and began passing out cards for her trick. "You think I can be a magician someday Natty? I love magic so much."

"Sure," Natalie said, only half paying attention. She was really trying to figure out an escape plan. This day was already becoming excruciatingly boring. How could they distract Agent Smith?

"I have to go pee!" Allie announced suddenly. "I gotta go bad! Where are the bathrooms!?"

Natalie smirked slightly, wondering if Allie could read her mind. She bolted up and shouted, "I'll take her!"

Agent Smith was unimpressed and didn't allow them to go alone, but Natalie knew they could figure out how to escape without him noticing, especially since he seemed to be addicted to his phone. So she paid close attention to her surroundings, scoping out the best escape route as Agent Smith led them to the bathroom.

"So how are we getting away from him?" Allie asked after doing her business.

Natalie shrugged and peeked through the door to see that Agent Smith had his back towards them and was busy looking at his phone. She motioned for Allie, mouthing "shhhh" so she'd scamper quietly. On the count of three, the two of them shot out of the bathroom as fast as their little legs could carry them. Both girls had to stifle giggles as they raced down the hallway, high off adrenaline.

Agent Smith heard them running and looked up startled. He cursed under his breath and gave chase but soon lost sight of them, embarrassed and confused at how they'd managed to get rid of him so easily. It was because of Natalie's impressive memory: she'd remembered every sharp turn she'd have to make and held tightly to Allie's hand until they approached the offices where they'd seen the dogs earlier.

"Doggies!" Allie squealed when she spotted a couple. "Can we play with them Natty? They look like they need some friends!"

One of the dogs wagged her tail, but there was an old bald man behind the nearby desk that looked pretty evil, so Natalie figured it probably wasn't a good idea. "Better if we find somewhere else to go."

Allie frowned, giving her sister a pout. "But I like doggies...and they want to play!"

"That guy though," Natalie said, and Allie realized her sister was right - it was best not to anger the scary man. He'd definitely tell Neal and Peter, and then they absolutely wouldn't take her to the park or zoo.

The girls continued walking and were soon distracted to what could be deemed the hidden treasure of the FBI: the evidence locker. There was a line of boxes in front of a lone agent sitting behind a desk, counting what looked to be fake Gucci bags. Natalie gasped, stopping and holding her sister back. "Look!" she whispered, pointing at the goods.

"Oooh. Pretty!" Allie whispered in awe. "Do they have a store here? I like shopping!"

Natalie shushed her. "We have to get past that guy. Any ideas?" She always asked Allie for ideas because her childlike creativity sparked Natalie's older-child intuition.

"What if the doggies got loose?" Allie asked. "I got a ball in my pocket."

"Great idea!"

Allie beamed. "I bet they like to play ball like Satchmo. I can toss it for them to chase."

"Do it," Natty whispered, nudging her sister.

The little girl nodded and tiptoed back to where the dogs were. As quietly as possible, Allie waved the ball to get their attention, then threw it hard. When it bounced against the tiled floor, one dog barked, the other gave chase, then the first followed.

When the commotion began, the evidence locker guard moved from his post, happy for a change of pace. Natalie grabbed her little sister and they snuck in. The room was much larger than she'd expected, with rows and rows of evidence boxes. They could spend hours snooping around in there! Though it may not be a great idea to stay too long.

"Ooooh!" Allie said in awe as she twirled in a circle to take it all in. "Where should we start? I want a new bracelet!"

The girls dispersed and each found boxes to dig through. "Ooh! Air Jordan's!" Natty nearly shrieked. They were even her favorite color: purple! Too bad she couldn't sneak them out without being caught.

"Bracelets! Look!" Allie held the shiny chains up for her sister to see, feeling like she'd hit the jackpot.

Natalie continued to sift through boxes until she found the Rolex watches... probably they were fake but looked legit. She ran her fingers over them, finally deciding on two that she really liked. She looked back over to Allie, who now had bracelets all down her arm, admiring the way they sparkled in the light.

"I want these."

"Not all of them," Natalie snapped. "Remember what happened at Macy's that time?" Allie had taken too many things and set off the alarms. The big scary security guards detained them for hours. It was probably one of the worst days of Allie's life.

"Oh...right," Allie nodded as she put a couple back. "Four is good."

Each girl stuffed her treasure into her pockets - It was too risky to wear it out - then they replaced the boxes as they'd found them and headed out. Except the stupid guy was back at his desk... how would they get out?

Allie crouched down low and pressed up against the wall, inching her way out easily while staying invisible... Being small had its advantages sometimes. As before, she went to distract the dogs, then hid while giggling softly and waiting for Natty.

Once Natalie found her sister, the two of them fell over in the hallway giggling until they were caught by Agent Smith. He was not pleased, but Natalie knew he wouldn't tell Peter - because if he told on them, they would tell on him. After all, he was the one who hadn't been doing his job.

-x-x-x-x-

The girls behaved the rest of the afternoon, Natalie trying to build a house of cards with half the deck while Allie used the other half to make up her own magic tricks. It was really boring to say the least, so both girls jumped with joy when Peter and Neal came back after having solved their case. "Are we going to the park now? And can I get some new Jordan's? Everyone has them 'cept me!"

Happy to see the change in Natalie's attitude, Peter smiled. "Yes, we'll go to the park now, and we'll see about the Jordan's."

Allie crammed the cards back into their box and sprinted towards her family, bouncing up and down with excitement. "I love parks! I get to be a monkey and climb everywhere and swing!" It was her way to get rid of some of the excess energy in her tiny body.

Neal smiled and tossed Allie onto his shoulders as they waved goodbye and thanked Agent Smith. When they got outside Allie felt so tall… It was like she could see for miles!

The oldest daughter looked on jealously but decided to busy herself with Peter. It wasn't Allie's fault that their dad liked her more. And at least Peter was hopefully going to get her new shoes. And he seemed to like them equally... for now.

Once they reached the park, Allie dashed away towards the slides, shouting for Natalie to join her. The preteen wasn't a huge fan of parks, and didn't feel much like playing, but had to admit that she also had an abundance of energy after sitting around all day. So she allowed herself to play with Allie, running around excitedly, sliding, swinging, climbing, and being mean to some of the other little kids. It was great fun!

Then a boy started teasing Allie, to which she responded by smacking him on the arm so hard that the sound echoed through the playground. He promptly started crying and tried to hit her back, but Allie shielded herself with her tiny arms, threatening: "Don't you hit me! My sister will beat you up!"

Natalie towered over the boy, trying to be as intimidating as possible and shouting at him to leave her kid sister alone. Neal saw the commotion and went over just in time to notice something drop from her back pocket: it was the watch. Half-suspicious, he glanced at Allie whose arms were still blocking her face. She was also bouncing around aggressively, so much that Neal could see a gold bracelet peeking out above where Satchmo's ball rested in her front pocket.

"Hey hey, what's going on?" Neal asked, grabbing ahold of Natalie's wrist right before she punched the kid.

"Let go of me!" she shouted a little too loudly, and everyone (including Peter) turned to stare. Natalie blushed and muttered "sorry," then, seeing the watch, snatched it up.

Everyone went back to their business and the girls explained that the other kid had started it. "He was mean! I don't like him!" Allie cried. "I HATE him!" She pressed her body against her father's, burying her face into his stomach.

"No more hitting," Neal stated. "You're lucky Peter didn't see you or you'd both be in big trouble right now." He felt Allie shiver with fear, and felt it was an appropriate time to ask, "where did you girls get that watch and bracelet?"

Allie shrugged. "Around."

"Yeah, it's not like you'd know anyway since you've been gone the last 6 years," Natalie snapped.

The words punched Neal in the stomach, but Peter came up suddenly so he didn't have time to respond. "Everything okay? Are you girls ready to go home?"

"I guess so," Allie sighed dramatically. "I was having fun...but I am hungry!"

-x-x-x-x-

Neal tried to forget about the jewelry, reassuring himself that the girls weren't thieves like him. And he was almost successful at believing their innocence until a couple of days later when he overheard Peter with a colleague talking about watches and bracelets missing from the evidence locker. He felt a pang in his chest realizing that both kids had lied to him.

Shortly after the news of the missing jewelry, Peter appointed Neal as babysitter for the evening as he would be working late to figure out what happened to the missing evidence. Neal nodded and headed back home where the girls had stayed with his friend, Mozzie, all day - both he and Peter had been worried about the kind of trouble they could cause with Moz but knew it would be better than leaving the girls at the office every day while Elizabeth was out of town.

Allie was out in the backyard swinging on the tire swing and shouting like Tarzan. She was quite content to be playing in the yard as she enjoyed being outside.

"Hey Moz, how's it going?" Neal asked, also waving at Allie.

"Baby suit has too much energy," he said, referring to Allie, "and middle suit has locked herself in her room all day. And I still can't believe you have children."

Neal nodded. "I'll take it from here - thanks for your help."

Holding out his hand Mozzie said, "My services are not free."

Neal cut him a glare but handed him a couple of 20s anyway. He really was grateful for the help. "Allie, let's go inside, I need to talk to you and Natalie."

"But I'm in the middle of rescuing Jane!" Allie protested as she kept swinging. "The bad guys got her and she needs to be rescued!"

"You can rescue her later, come on," Neal said firmly. He was rarely strict with her but was under pressure to get the jewelry back before Peter found out who took it. He was worried because he didn't want his boss to change his mind about taking care of the kids - who else would let him see the girls on a daily basis? Who else could he trust like Peter and Elizabeth?

Allie pouted as she hopped down from the tire swing. "You're no fun," she told him as she came to stand next to him. "You better show me more magic tricks, Mister."

"First we have to talk." He took her little hand in his and walked her inside and upstairs where Natalie lay on her bed reading a book. Instead of knocking, Neal barged inside and asked Allie to sit next to her sister.

"What do you want?" Natalie sneered.

Allie climbed up onto the bed next to her sister. "He's not fun today," she informed. "He wouldn't let me finish rescuing Jane."

"You two stole from the FBI," Neal said, taking the book from Natalie and tossing it aside.

Allie cocked her head and looked at him innocently. "No, we didn't. We went shopping." She was still convinced the room was a store.

"Yeah, in an actual store. But thanks for thinking of us as criminals." Natalie's heart skipped a beat, though, knowing deep down she'd been caught.

"Peter knows that 2 watches and 4 bracelets are missing from the evidence locker... jewelry that looks exactly like what I saw fall from your pocket the other day. Do you want Peter to look at the surveillance footage and catch you? Or do you want to tell me the truth?"

"What's an evidence locker?" Allie wanted to know as she looked between her father and her sister. "And what's sur-surveillance...?"

"Evidence locker is where evidence for criminal cases are kept," Neal responded. "Surveillance tapes are from video cameras that record what people are doing in buildings and stores. It means someone is watching."

"So that wasn't a store we were in?" Allie asked in innocence. "I thought people just liked lots of boxes." She didn't realize she had just spilled the beans.

Natalie shook her head and smacked her sister. "Allie! Shush! Don't rat us out," she said, giving her a death glare.

"OW!" Allie yelped, tears filling her eyes. "What did I do? I only asked a question!" She swatted at her sister in retaliation.

"Girls..." Neal said, trying to get their attention, but they kept swatting at each other until he shouted: "GIRLS! That's enough!"

Both of them stopped upon hearing him yell - Neal rarely raised his voice, so he had to be at wit's end to become so loud.

"Don't you realize how much trouble you could get into for stealing from the FBI?" His blue eyes danced in flames, steam rising from his head. Didn't they know how close they were to losing each other all over again?

Allie's eyes widened in fear as she brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them, her lower lip quivering. She didn't like it when adults were mad at her.

"It's not that big of a deal," Natalie said. "It's stuff that the FBI stole from other people so we're just stealing it back."

Neal glared at her, now on the verge of losing his patience. "It is a big deal! People go to prison for that sort of thing… Is that what you want?" He shook his head, anxiously pacing in front of them and trying to figure out how to handle this situation.

"But I don't wanna go to jail!" Allie cried. The thought scared her... in fact, just being detained at the mall by security that one time had been terrifying enough.

Natalie was torn between apologizing to her dad, or hugging Allie and calling him a big meanie for making her cry. Instead, she opted for sneering, "It's not like you've never stolen anything before."

"Yeah, and you see where I ended up?!"

Silence swept over the room after he said it, and for a breathless moment, one could hear a pin drop. Natalie now hugged Allie and allowed a few tears to fall, too, having been hit with the realization that she was turning into her dad, which was the last thing she wanted to happen.

Neal sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Being a disciplinarian was definitely not his thing. He just wanted to help the girls, get them a break. But Peter's voice barked in his head, reminding him that they needed consequences. And while he wasn't the type to agree with corporal punishment, they'd already been in trouble for stealing before.. if they didn't get punished for this, it's likely they'd continue down the same path as he. Neal really hated to hurt them but felt he had no choice. "You're both getting a spanking for this," he stated firmly.

"NOOOOO!" Allie shrieked, clinging to Natalie a little tighter. "I don't want one! I thought it was a store!" She'd a feeling it was a little different when her sister kept getting her to distract people but had gone along with it anyway.

Neal had to take a deep breath to calm himself down. "When you're in the FBI building, you are not to touch anything, let alone take it from there... and... how did you get into the evidence locker anyway? When did this happen?"

Allie explained their scheme and Neal couldn't help but chuckle slightly at their creativity and wits. Then he put his serious face back on and stooped down to her level. "You mean that you distracted Agent Smith and snuck into someplace that was being guarded by someone?" He looked from Allie to Natalie.

"We were bored," Natalie said. "You should've just let us stay home."

"He was on his phone."

"Those are just excuses. You both know better than to sneak away from your babysitter and take something that doesn't belong to you. You're both getting a spanking. Who's first?"

Eyes wide, Allie let go of her sister to scramble away. She was not getting spanked! No way no how! "NO!" She shouted tearfully as she scurried away. "NO! NO! NO!"

Before she could get very far, Neal caught her. "No running, Allie," he scolded. He held her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Allie, you did something wrong and are going to be punished. You can't go around stealing things."

Allie gave him her best puppy dog look with tear filled eyes. "I won't do it again..." She really didn't want to be spanked. He was supposed to be her magic buddy, not someone who punished her.

"Good, then I won't have to spank you for it again," Neal replied.

Natalie was starting to feel annoyed again, so through her own tears she said, "You don't have the right to spank us... you're not our dad!"

This was turning into a bigger challenge than he'd hoped. Sighing, Neal said, "I'll give you a choice: we can keep this between us and I'll return the missing items so Peter doesn't find out. Or, you can keep them and I can tell Peter. Your choice."

Natalie huffed. Some choice it was.

Allie started to cry again as she stood there. "I don't want Peter to know! He'll lock us up with the bad guys!" She wailed and threw her arms about Neal.

He patted her on the back, hugging her tightly. "Natalie, your sister has made her choice... what is yours?"

Natalie growled but agreed that she would accept Neal's punishment over Peter knowing. "You'll really return the stuff without Peter finding out?" she wanted to know.

"Yes," Neal nodded. "I will. Once you've been spanked you'll have nothing to worry about."

Allie tightened her grip on him, still crying some as she was pretty upset. "Can't you just make us stay in our rooms all day instead? That would be awful 'specially to me since I love playing outside."

"I gave you the choice, kid… either I deal with it or Peter." He waited for a moment and she didn't respond, so he sat down and pulled her over his lap, ignoring the cries and also the look on Natalie's face.

The little girl squirmed, not liking this position at all. "But it's gonna hurt!" she complained through her tears. "I don't want my bum to hurt!"

"I know you don't, so hopefully this won't happen again, but you have to learn the difference between right and wrong." With that Neal tugged her shorts down to her knees and rested a hand on her bottom. "What are you getting spanked for Allie?"

"For taking stuff that's not mine," Allie whined through her tears. She was upset too as her pants hadn't come down for a spanking yet and she bet this was gonna hurt more than last time.

"And what else?" he asked, planting a firm swat to her backside.

Allie let out a yelp. "No more lying!" she wailed. "Owwwww!" That swat had hurt much more than last time.

"Anything else?" he asked as he delivered another swat.

"I don't rememberrrrr!" And how did he expect her to think with all that spanking going on? Her little legs kicked furiously, hoping it would help end the pain already.

"Tricking someone to get inside the evidence locker, running off from Agent Smith..." Neal reminded, landing a few more mild swats.

Allie cried more, throwing a small hand back. "No more! It hurts!"

Neal grabbed her hand and held it away from her bottom as he pulled her panties down now. "You have to stop with all the tricking and stealing or you may end up in jail - is that what you want?" he asked, raining down a few more spanks to her now-bare bottom.

"Nooooo!" she screeched. "I don't wanna be with bad guys! Cops are scaryyyyy!" She hiccupped then spoke again. "But I like tricks! They're funny!"

"Some tricks are okay, and some are not. If you want to make sure you don't get in trouble then you need to ask me or Peter or Elizabeth," Neal warned then delivered a couple of more swats to her sit spots.

Allie kicked and squirmed but wasn't able to go far. "What if you're n-not t-there?" It was becoming harder and harder to speak with all of the crying.

"Then find another adult to ask - not Natalie," Neal said now eyeing his oldest. He gave Allie a final spank and lifted her up for a hug, helping dry her tears.

Allie buried herself into him sobbing. She clung to him tightly as she tried to catch her breath and get her crying under control.

Neal rubbed her back gently and stroked her hair. "It's okay, little one, it's all over now," he said, rocking her back and forth until her eyes dried. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and lifted her, as she scrambled to pull up her shorts and panties. Then she climbed back up onto the bed and lay down far enough away from Neal that she could curl up and rest.

He then turned to Natalie who was actually crying herself with anticipation. She'd seen the way Neal spanked her little sister on the bare bottom and wasn't looking forward to the same thing happening to her. In fact, she was contemplating running out like Allie had tried... but knew it'd be useless. She could run away from Agent Smith because he'd underestimated her abilities. But her dad was always one step ahead, and he'd certainly be alert enough to not let her get away.

Neal eyed the preteen warily as he motioned for her to come to him. As if reading her mind he warned, "don't even think about running… you won't get far at all."

Even though she wanted to argue a million reasons why her dad shouldn't spank her, Natalie knew that she was going to get it anyway - he'd already spanked Allie, and it wouldn't be fair to just spank one of them. So she trudged towards Neal, looking at the floor.

Once she was close enough Neal spoke. "You know the difference between right and wrong Natalie. You should be keeping your sister out of trouble, not getting her into it." He reached over and tugged her pants down so she was standing there in her panties. "I'm going to keep you two from going down the path I did no matter what it takes. I don't want for either of you to end up like I did. Got it?"

Natalie just nodded, feeling a little awkward and embarrassed to be standing there with her pants down... the only thing more awkward than that would be when she was over his lap!

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and for the first time, the preteen noticed how similar his eyes were to hers. Then, without warning, he took her wrist in his hand and tugged her forward so that she would fall over his lap.

"I'm doing this because I care," Neal said, immediately landing a hearty smack. "Why are you being spanked, Natalie?"

The preteen winced with the first swat, trying to act like a big girl and not cry out. She could do this... there was no way Neal could spank her as hard as Peter had a few days ago! "For taking things that aren't mine and sneaking away from Agent Smith," she said softly, biting on her lower lip and squeezing her eyes shut as she braced for more spanks.

"And?" Neal asked as he landed another swat.

"I dunno... everything?" Thinking about it was torture, couldn't this just be over already?

Unimpressed with her response, Neal increased the intensity of the spanking and lectured, "no more convincing your sister to trick people."

"Ow! Okay okay, I'll try to be a better influence..."

"You better," her father replied as he landed four swats to her sit spots. "I don't want to have to do this again."

Natalie squirmed, almost forgetting about her efforts to stay strong and not cry, but it was really starting to hurt! "Ouchh, you don't have to do this you know..."

"Yes I do," Neal stated firmly. "You need consequences." The fact that it sounded like Peter was not lost on him, but he pushed the thought away as he peeled Natalie's panties down to her knees. "I don't enjoy doing this but will when it's necessary."

Six brisk, hard smacks fell onto Natalie's backside and she finally gave up all hope of not making a scene. Now her cries echoed through the room, tears fell freely as she kicked and squirmed. Her bottom felt like it was on fire! Maybe Peter spanked a little harder... but this bare bottom stuff was no joke! And Neal kept spanking, making each smack count to ensure this lesson would stick for a long time.

"If we have to talk about this again, it'll be much worse, got it?" Then glancing over at Allie added, "that goes for the both of you."

Natalie kicked and squirmed and howled in pain as he moved to smacking only her sit spots now. "Okay Neal, okayyyy, pleaseee no moreee," she whined reaching her hand back to block the barrage of hard swats. She couldn't handle anymore! "I'm sorry!"

Neal grabbed her hand with ease and gently pinned it to her back. He landed another six extra hard swats to her sit spots and now she shrieked, beginning to sob. Ugh… him restraining her made Natty feel so powerless like she was a little kid again, and just wanted to shout at everyone so they understood her - she was 12 years old already! She'd been taking care of herself and Allie most of the last 2 years since their mom was always off paying more attention to her cons than her own children.

It took a moment for Natalie to realize that Neal had finally stopped the spanking, and she hurriedly wiped her eyes and pushed herself up, at the same time easing her pants and panties to their proper position.

Now that all the spankings were over, Allie crawled over to Neal and climbed back into his lap and snuggled in. Smiling, he held her close then brought a reluctant Natalie in for a hug, snuggling them both together. "Now just to figure out how to return the jewelry..." he pondered and noticed Allie fast asleep.

"I'll help you figure it out," Natalie said, seizing the opportunity to finally bond some with her dad.

Neal smiled. "C'mon, let's tuck Allie in, then we can plan downstairs."

And they did just that.


	3. Allie & Natalie Out of the FBI

_Spanking series, co-written with_ _ **LenniLuvsBrian**_ _, mostly M/f, mostly non-consensual_

 _ **A/N**_ _: This is an AU in which Neal and Alex have two daughters. Background is explained throughout the story._

 _ **Series Summary**_ _: 12-year-old Natalie is an independent and rebellious pre-teen, who has been taking care of her little sister, Allie (age 6). When their mom is arrested, the girls run away to find their father, only to end up in the care of an FBI agent and his wife instead._

 _ **Chapter 3 Summary**_ _: Allie and Natalie are stuck going to work with their foster dad, who enlists in the help of a fellow FBI agent to watch over them while he's busy with a case. The only problem is that waiting for him becomes excruciatingly boring and the girls need a new form of entertainment. Their creativity and wits can help pass the time, but won't keep them out of trouble._

-x-x-x-x-

"Did you girls behave today?" Peter asked when he arrived home later that night. The three were piled up on the couch watching a movie, which was his first clue that something peculiar was going on: Natalie rarely sat in common areas when Neal was around.

What Peter didn't know was that Neal and Natalie had spent the last three hours figuring out a foolproof plan to sneak the stolen jewelry back to where it belonged. Actually, Natalie hadn't really planned much… she'd mostly listened to Neal ramble on about potential disaster scenarios and logical ways to problem-solve. She'd also tried to make mental notes so she could remember it all for future references, but he was too quick for her. By the time she'd figured out what he had been talking about, he'd already moved onto another three or four ideas.

Allie woke up from her nap about an hour into their planning, and sat quietly in Neal's lap, playing with the Rubik's cube Mozzie had left over there. She turned the blocks up and down, back and forth, matching up the colors as best as she could, totally engrossed in the puzzle while idly listening to Natalie's conversation with their dad. Her bum was still a little sore from her earlier spanking, but the pain was finally fading and she noticed for a moment how peaceful she felt. Usually, she was hyper and fidgety, vying to be the center of everyone's attention. But at this moment she knew she didn't need any attention, that her daddy loved her and he was back and he was always going to be there. All her life she'd wanted a dad and now she had two! And two moms, too! It was the safest and most loved she'd ever felt.

"We always behave," Natalie said, shifting in her seat as she felt the warmth radiating from her bottom. She hoped so badly that Peter didn't figure out what they'd done… seeing him in person made her heart start racing and palms get sweaty. If Neal had been upset about them stealing, Peter would be furious. What if he decided that she and her little sister were too much for him to handle? What if he tossed them in jail, or sent them to separate homes? The anxiety was starting to get the best of her, so she stood suddenly and told everyone goodnight.

"Before you go," Peter said, looking at each of them and feeling a bit suspicious, unsure about what. "Tomorrow we have a one o'clock appointment to tour the schools you'll be going to. Elizabeth should be back from Chicago in time to meet us there, but you'll have to come with me to the office in the morning."

"What's school?" Allie asked, looking up from the Rubik's cube.

Peter glanced at Natalie and then Neal and said, "Really? She doesn't know what school is?"

Neal shrugged but Natalie said defensively, "She's too little for school."

Peter didn't feel like arguing or explaining, so he dropped it for the night, promising to discuss details with Allie another time. It had been a long day, and he still hadn't figured out what happened with the stolen jewelry. He had a bad feeling in his stomach, though, that Neal and/or his daughters had something to do with it. But he desperately hoped they didn't.

-x-x-x-x-

It was fairly easy for Neal to sneak the watches and bracelets back into the evidence room without being seen, and as soon as he had, he peeked into the conference room to signal to the girls that his plan had been successful.

Natalie breathed a sigh of relief and glanced down at Allie, who sat next to her still working on the Rubik's cube, not a worry in her mind. Allie hadn't seemed nervous at all that Peter could find out… she easily trusted Neal to handle the situation. Natalie wasn't so lucky. She'd been on edge all morning, unable to even practice building a house of cards because she kept knocking everything over. Now that Neal had confirmed they were off the hook, she could finally focus on something other than what would happen if she got caught.

The problem is that they didn't realize Peter and his colleagues had been taking turns reviewing video surveillance footage from the cameras near and in the evidence room. When Neal went to inform Peter that the missing jewelry had been a mistake, it was too late. Peter wasn't in his office; he was sitting in front of a black & white screen that showed his foster daughters roaming through the FBI headquarters and causing all sorts of trouble. He couldn't see directly from the cameras that they had taken anything, only that they dug through the boxes and tried on different items. But he was pretty sure that his gut had been right: they were the ones who'd stolen the jewelry.

Peter rushed to the conference room, tearing open the door and startling Agent Smith into dropping his phone with a CRASH onto the table.

"Do you two care to explain just what you were doing in the evidence room?" Peter demanded of the girls, and then looked over at the agent watching them. "And why was I not informed they had taken off?"

Agent Smith stammered unintelligible words, unable to explain himself. The young man cowered under his supervisor's fury, apologizing repeatedly until he was dismissed and Peter looked back at the girls.

"Well? Care to explain yourselves?"

They looked up at him with wide eyes. How did he find out? Their dad had said he wouldn't tell! Was he a liar like their mom?

Allie moved to hide behind her sister, popping her thumb in her mouth out of nervous habit. She didn't dare peek at Peter when he was this infuriated… all she could do is fight back the tears of betrayal.

Natalie also felt betrayed, and it took her off guard, but she quickly hardened and denied everything. "Agent Smith was looking at his phone and Allie got lost going out of the bathroom so I went to find her and we ended up in the evidence room," Natalie said coolly, looking Peter in the eyes the entire time.

An eerie feeling washed over Peter as the oldest girl looked at him - she was so similar to her father with her ease in telling stories. "I saw you two running off and Agent Smith chasing you. I saw Allie teasing the dogs. It didn't look like either of you was lost," Peter said, staring them down.

Natalie struggled to find words. "It was because he was being mean," she said, looking pathetically towards her little sister for help.

The little one peeked her head out and nodded. "He wouldn't let us play with the doggies."

"So you two just decided to take off and do what you pleased?" Peter exclaimed. "The dogs are not here to play, they are here to work!"

Allie shrunk back behind Natalie, tears filling her eyes. How was she supposed to know not all dogs were meant to be played with?

Peter was really angry, much angrier than Neal had been, and that made Natalie's stomach twist into knots. She and Allie gripped each other's hands in fear. "We're sorry, Peter... w-we won't do it again..." Natalie said, now putting on her puppy face and letting tears stream down her face. She really didn't want another spanking…

"Some items have gone missing from the evidence room," Peter added. "You two wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

Natalie faked surprise. "What? Do you really think we'd stoop that low?"

"You're dodging the question," Peter said, noting another of Neal's habits that Natalie had picked up on.

Allie was crying and had her face buried into Natalie's back. "I want Neal..." she whimpered where only Natalie could hear. She really missed the calm feeling she'd had the day before when he'd held her in his lap. And while she refused to believe that her dad would tell mean ol' Peter on them, she couldn't figure out any other way that Peter could've found out.

As if his ears had been ringing, Neal popped into the room, oblivious to the tense situation he was entering. Allie immediately went running to him in tears. "Hey Kid, what's wrong?" he asked, then looked back at Peter to quickly tell him, "They recounted the evidence, and looks like there was a mistake - everything is there."

Peter eyed Neal suspiciously and glanced behind him to see Jones confirm that Neal's statement was true. But he was sure Neal and the girls knew more than they were letting on, he just didn't have any proof yet. "That's good to know." He turned back to Natalie. "Still, you two shouldn't have run off like that. And you shouldn't have lied when I questioned you about it. I don't appreciate being lied to."

"Peter," Neal began, giving him a look to help him calm down and hoping he could get the girls out of trouble. "C'mon, I'm sure the girls learned their…" Before he could finish, Peter shot him a death glare, and Neal took the hint to detach from Allie and duck out of the room.

The little girl began to cry more. She didn't want to be left with Peter! Obviously, they were in big trouble, but it wasn't fair! They'd already been spanked for this!

"Both of you, get your noses in a corner, NOW," Peter ordered

They flew to opposite corners, Allie's sobs racking her small frame. All the trust she'd had in her father was being stripped away. How could he have just left her there like that without fighting harder to save her?

Peter paced a bit, trying to find an ounce of empathy within himself. _How could they do something like this? Natalie is going to end up just like Neal if she doesn't get a reality check._ He glanced at the oldest child who stood there obediently, staring at the wall in boredom. He could hear her nervous breathing and noticed her wobbly knees - _at least she feels a little guilty, which is more than we can say about Neal_. _And there's no evidence they've stolen anything, so that's also good... though I'm guessing Neal has something to do with that…_

He looked over towards Allie to see if her tears had subsided. She was still sniffling a bit and her cheeks were flushed, but she seemed okay. Peter felt himself soften. _They're just kids._ _They're really only guilty of boredom and impatience. At least that's age appropriate… at least they didn't pickpocket this time..._

Feeling calm enough to carry on a sensible conversation, he called the girls over.

Allie hesitated, unsure and a little scared. She still had a bitter feeling inside her and was starting to think Natty had been right in saying Neal wasn't their dad. A real dad would've saved her from scary Peter. A real dad wouldn't abandon her like this.

She snapped out of her thoughts when her big sister wrapped icy fingers around her hand, helping Allie move forward. Natalie herself was trying to remain stoic while silently panicking on the inside, worried about the looming retribution. And what if Allie blurted out the truth about stealing? That would surely make this situation much worse.

They sat in front of Peter, who did his best to avoid making this into an interrogation. "Listen, you girls can't just go roaming around this office and sneaking into places you aren't supposed to go." Eyeing Allie he added, "And playing with the dogs - that's why we have Satchmo." He shot each of them a look that made their stomachs churn.

"I love Satchmo, " Allie commented softly.

"There are dangerous things here that children should not be playing with or seeing."

Natalie just nodded, silently praying that he wouldn't spank them. "We won't do it again. It was the only time we snuck away, right Allie? We'll be good..."

"Super good," Allie promised.

"Regardless, you already lied to me once today. How do I know you're not lying now?" He paused for effect. "I'm afraid I can't just take your word for it."

Allie felt her heart pounding against her rib cage. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. She inched forward on her seat, prepared to run.

"I think you both know what's coming," Peter continued, straightening his tie. "You're getting a spanking."

With those words, Allie leaped off the chair and ran out the door. She refused to get another spanking! She just had one yesterday and didn't want one today too!

Peter groaned and stood to follow her, but Natalie stopped him. "Neal will bring her back," she said. He saw that she was right: Neal had caught the little imp and was holding her now, speaking in a calming voice. Looking back at Natalie, he noticed tears forming in her eyes, regretting that she'd have to submit to the consequences of her misbehavior. And worse, she'd be punished right there in the FBI office, where everyone would be able to hear them. How embarrassing.

But Natalie surprised him by saying, "If you want... you can go ahead and get mine over with... and then hers after she calms down some..." She shifted in her seat, feeling only a little brave, but really just tired of being in trouble.

Peter nodded and closed the door, admiring Natalie's valor. He sat down in front of her and patted his lap. "Come here, then. Let's get this over with."

Natalie inched towards him as slowly as possible - even though she wanted this to be over, her legs didn't want to allow her to move forward. But finally, with enough self-coaxing, she stood in front of him, brown hair fallen in front of her face, teary blue eyes looking at him. "I'm sorry for lying to you," she said. "I was scared to get in trouble..."

"Lying just gets you in more trouble," Peter told her honestly. "It's always best to tell me the truth." He eased her pants down and laid her over his lap. "I'm leaving your panties up this time but if I catch you lying to me again they will come down, understood?" he asked, landing the first swat.

"Owwww, yes, sir," Natalie squealed, having forgotten how hard Peter spanks.

"Why are you being spanked, Young Lady?"

"For sneaking away and lying to you," she said, looking at the floor and covering her mouth so she wouldn't cry too loudly.

"That's correct," Peter replied as he began to really spank her. He made sure to cover every inch of her bottom to ensure this lesson stuck more than the last one. "I will not have you or your sister lying to me. Especially since you know better."

"Yes, Peter, I knowwww," Natalie groaned, kicking her feet slightly. "Owww, that hurtsss!"

"It's supposed to," Peter replied as he kept spanking. He began to focus mostly on her sit spots and a little on her upper thighs, wanting her to remember this every time she sat the rest of the day.

With each swat that landed on her bottom, Natalie squawked. But then when he started smacking her sit spots and thighs, all hopes of keeping her dignity dissolved and she started crying out in pain. Tears began spilling from her eyes. "Peter... I-I'm s-sorryyy!"

"As you should be," he said as he landed a few harder smacks.

Natalie kicked and squirmed and within no time, she was full-out crying. She couldn't hold it in anymore - all of the emotions came rushing over her at once... her mom getting arrested, her dad suddenly being in her life, and this stranger who seemed to care more about her than both of them put together.

"Owwww, Peter pleaseee," she cried.

"We're almost done," Peter assured her. He gave about ten more hearty smacks then stopped spanking, rubbing her back to help comfort her.

Natalie cried and cried, nose stuffy and head starting to ache as much as her bottom. She hated crying. She also hated being over his lap like that, so pushed herself up and hugged onto him tightly. Pressing her face against his chest, she realized why Allie liked latching onto their dad so much. Maybe she could have a relationship with Peter like Allie did with Neal.

Peter wrapped his arms around the preteen, also feeling the sudden strong connection. He was new to this dad stuff and had never thought he'd have to start out with such a troubled adolescent. But he did have a soft spot for her and saw her potential. She still had a chance to not end up like Neal. Somewhere inside of that over-dramatic exterior was just a frightened little girl who only needed for someone to care.

As Peter and Natalie were having their moment, Allie sat with Neal at his desk, learning new magic tricks and chatting. Neal had managed to explain to the little girl how Peter found out about their adventure, which helped her feel a little better, but she was still really scared to get spanked again. Neal knew this and hadn't brought up the subject, but when he saw Natalie emerge from the conference room, he knew it was time to persuade Allie into having her chat with Peter, and he knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"I'm not talking to him. He's scary," Allie spat with defiance, pressing herself into Neal so he wouldn't make her go.

Neal gently pulled Allie away to look into her eyes. "Hey, you have to talk to him. I know it's scary, but you're brave, right? You've had to do scarier things before, like running away with Natalie."

"I'm not that brave," Allie insisted. "I ran 'cause I was scared. I don't like scary things or people."

"I know it's hard Allie. But you can do it - you have to find your courage. You have to stop being afraid of Peter because, after all, you live with him now. He and Elizabeth are taking care of you, and they even bought that My Little Pony blanket you wanted, right? You can trust Peter." Neal knew all too well what it was like to feel like you couldn't trust anyone, but was glad that at least his kids were young enough to reverse that bad habit before it was too late.

"But I don't want to," Allie told him tearfully. "You spanked me yesterday. I don't want another one..."

"Peter doesn't know you were spanked yesterday, and besides, you're in trouble for something different. Yesterday it was for stealing and lying to me... what's the punishment for today?"

Allie chewed her lower lip as she thought about it. "For exploring and playing with the doggies?"

"And Peter has the right to discipline you for that, Allie. C'mon, be a big girl and go to him yourself... you'll see it'll be much easier on you." Neal nudged her slightly, giving her a kiss on the forehead as he stood.

Allie put a death grip on him. "But I'm scared," she insisted. "I don't wanna be a big girl..."

"You can do it, Allie. And maybe afterward I'll teach you a new magic trick?"

Allie looked up at him, pausing for a moment. "Two tricks… and ice cream."

"One trick and chocolate ice cream?"

"With sprinkles?" Allie wanted to know.

"Deal."

Allie clung to him a couple moments longer, but finally let go and tiptoed toward the door where Peter stood waiting. Her eyes were filled with tears once more as she shuffled towards him feeling extremely nervous.

"I see you've come back."

Allie inched inside and nodded. She glanced back at Neal for reassurance, then returned her attention to Peter.

"Have a seat, let's talk about what happened the other day."

Creeping towards the chair, Allie cast a glance back at the door as Peter closed it.

"I'm proud of you for coming in here, Allie."

"You are?" Allie asked softly, looking at him warily. She knew cops were fast and that Peter could grab her at any time, so she was watching for any sudden movement.

"Of course I am. I know it took a lot for you to come in here on your own. But we really need to talk about your sneaking out and playing with the dogs."

Allie slowly made it to the chair and climbed up to sit. "So long as you only talk..."

"We will start off talking. I have a couple of questions to ask you." Peter sat in front of her, trying to loosen up a little. If he was too stiff and grumpy-sounding, he knew she'd try to run off again. And he really, really wanted to get through this without too much drama. "Why did you and Natalie distract that guard?" he asked.

"Which one?" Allie asked. "Agent Smith was on his phone and I knew Natty wanted to explore... and I wanted to see the doggies."

"And what about the guard by the room you went to? The room with all of the… boxes?"

"The store?" Allie replied. "Natty said he wouldn't let us go in and I wanted to see the store so I tricked him."

Peter nodded. "Did you take anything from the 'store'?"

Allie hesitated. If she said no she would be lying to him again. If she said yes he would be angry and scary again. So she gave a noncommittal shrug.

He repeated the question but choosing different words to see if it would help prompt a response. "Do you have anything that was at the 'store'?"

"No," Allie answered. She felt more confident in this answer since it was the truth - Neal had already returned the items.

Peter was satisfied and said, "Good. Do you understand what you did that was wrong?"

"I think so..." Allie said softly as she shrunk in her seat. Peter beckoned her to continue. "Playing tricks… but I'm not sorry for playing with the doggies. It made them happy."

"Maybe one day you can play with them, but you have to get permission first."

"I can do that," Allie told him with an affirmative nod

"Good." He paused, bracing himself for Allie to try and run as he said, "You're going to get a spanking, but the more you comply, the easier it'll be on you."

Allie sat there fidgeting and chewing on her lower lip, silent for a moment before saying, "Kay..."

Peter was shocked that she took it so well, and said, "Okay... come here."

Allie slid off the chair but hesitated a moment. "Peter? Can I sit with you first?" she asked, glancing up at him.

"Of course," Peter said, a little relieved that all she wanted was to be held. He opened his arms wide, inviting her to settle onto his lap.

Allie went over quietly, seeking his comfort. She was used to Neal and was curious if Peter knew how to cuddle too. So she climbed onto him like he was the rock wall at her favorite playground. When she reached the top, he enveloped her with his arms. It was hard to relax at first, but after a moment she felt comfortable enough to rest her head on his chest, and then she snuggled in, sighing softly. Maybe he wasn't quite as scary as she thought…

"Can we snuggle after too?"

"Definitely," Peter said, squeezing her even tighter.

Allie pressed into him a little more. She sat there for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and speaking again. "I'm ready… I think."

"I'm proud of you for being such a big girl, Allie."

"I'm not always a big girl," Allie told him. "Sometimes I just wanna be a little girl."

"It's okay, a mixture of the two is good."

He helped Allie off his lap then in one quick motion tugged down her shorts and carefully eased her over his knee. Unsure of what to do with her hands, Allie clung to his leg, hoping that it wouldn't be a bad spanking. Neal had spanked her pretty hard the day before and her sister claimed Peter spanked harder, so she was a little worried.

"Allie, I don't like to punish you, but I need you girls to follow the rules. You can't run off from your babysitter or distract the dogs while they're working, got it?" he asked, raining down a few mild swats to her panty-clad bottom.

"Okay!" Allie whimpered as she squirmed over his lap.

"I can't have you two sneaking into forbidden areas... you could get lost or hurt or in bigger trouble," he scolded, increasing the speed and intensity of the smacks.

Allie yelped with each swat, crying her only response. She held onto his leg a little tighter.

Peter moved to her sit spots, peppering them lightly so that she could feel what would happen if she continued this streak of tricking people. "I also don't appreciate you lying to me, Allie. While you're staying with me, I expect you to be honest, do you understand?"

"Yesssss!" Allie wailed. "I'll be good!"

Peter focused on her sit spots, ensuring they turned a bright pink before he moved back to her bottom, spanking a little harder now.

Allie began kicking and tossed a hand back. "I'm sorryyy!" she cried out as she sobbed.

"I know you are," Peter said, continuing to warm her bottom. "And this is only a fraction of what will happen if you continue to break the rules."

Allie sobbed harder. "No mooooore! I'll be gooder! "

He moved back to her sit spots to drive the point home, then alternated between the cheeks and sit spots. "Almost finished," he promised, then ended with ten hard-ish swats.

Allie lay there sobbing hard. He definitely spanked harder and more than her dad! She hiccupped and sniffled.

As promised, Peter lifted Allie up onto his lap for hugs, wrapping his arms around her and letting her cry into his chest while he rubbed her back. She latched onto him tightly and nuzzled her face into his shirt as she tried to calm down. "You spank too hard!"

He tucked her hair behind her ears. "I just want to make sure you learn your lesson."

"I learned too much."

Peter kissed the little girl on the top of the head, snuggling with her until she was ready to get up. Then she replaced her shorts and ran for the door to find Natalie. Thankfully it was almost time for them to go!

Natalie and Allie stood by the exit rubbing their sore backsides while Peter approached Neal. Allie was chattering away about magic, but Natalie shushed her to hear what her foster dad was going to say. She was still kind of worried he'd want to give them away.

"I know they stole the jewelry," he told Neal.

"How did you…?"

Peter cut him off. "I'm assuming you took care of it?"

Neal nodded, glancing over at the girls and locking eyes with Natalie for a split second.

"It was just a feeling," Peter said, clapping Neal on the shoulder and looking him deep in the eyes. "Don't let it happen again."

And with that, he stalked towards the girls, taking a hand in each of his.

"Look! I finished!" Allie said, holding up the Rubik's cube for all to see.

But Natalie was too busy studying Peter to pay attention to the child's toy. Peter knew they stole the jewelry, but he was still there holding their hands, taking them on a school tour, and even smiling at Allie. _Maybe we won't have to run away -_ It wasn't a thought, just a feeling she had.


	4. Allie's Party Disaster

Spanking series, co-written with LenniLuvsBrian, mostly M/f, mostly non-consensual

A/N: This is an AU in which Neal and Alex have two daughters. Background is explained throughout the story.

Series Summary: 12-year-old Natalie is an independent and rebellious pre-teen, who has been taking care of her little sister, Allie (age 6). When their mom is arrested, the girls run away to find their father, only to end up in the care of an FBI agent and his wife instead.

Chapter 4 Summary: Peter is happy to spend quality time with his youngest foster daughter, who he takes to a birthday party, but their day makes an unexpected turn for the worst when the birthday girl accuses Allie of stealing. Peter tries to reconcile their differences, but is it too late? Will Allie be able to fix her mistake before it ruins the whole party? And will Peter be able to keep his cool long enough to make this quality time count?

-x-x-x-x-

"You're sure there's gonna be cake? I'm excited to try some!"

Allie was in the back seat, squirming as she anxiously awaited their arrival to the birthday party she'd been invited to by Peter's niece. It was the first party she'd ever been to, and she'd had a blast picking out a birthday present for Crystal, who she hoped would be her new best friend.

Peter smiled, glancing in the rearview mirror. "Of course there is," he responded for the millionth time, turning onto his niece's street. He was actually really looking forward to the birthday party… Natalie and El were off on their own bonding experience, leaving Peter and Allie alone together without the others as a buffer. It was still challenging for him to deal with her alone - his tough demeanor still scared Allie, and it was hard to soften up for her. But today would be different. They were with family and other children… what could possibly go wrong?

This may be a good time to go over the rules again, Peter thought. "Allie... remember what we talked about before we left the house, right? Can you remind me what the rules are for today?"

"Mind my manners, no playing 'find the wallet', no tricks except magic ones Neal taught me," Allie recited. "No hitting, biting, pushing, or being mean."

"Very good. And what happens if any of the rules are broken?" It had become his and the girls' routine, daily reminders of behavioral expectations and consequences. That ensured they would really learn to behave and make good choices in the future.

"I get in trouble," Allie answered with a frown. She didn't care for the daily reminders some days and others she was glad for them.

"That's right, you'll get a spanking," he said, pulling into the driveway. "And neither of us want that, so please behave. And you'll have a lot of fun." Peter smiled now, parking the car and opening the back door to let out his littlest. He grabbed her tiny hand, and his sister and niece greeted them in the doorway.

"Allie, this is your cousin Crystal," he introduced.

"Hi," Allie said almost shyly. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you!" Crystal chirped. "I got new shopkins, wanna see?" She took the girl's hand and led her away to the playroom.

Allie was amazed when she saw the huge fortress. It was painted in her favorite colors, pink and purple, and butterflies were spread out everywhere - some were strung with wire from the ceiling, others were painted onto the walls. There were toys everywhere too, including a large Barbie house with a bunch of dolls and accessories. Plus Crystal had tons of Shopkins and My Little Ponies and Legos and everything! "Woooooow... This is awesome!" She'd never seen so many toys in one place before.

Crystal and Allie played together nicely while they awaited more guests. Soon as the other kids showed up, they were all shooed outside to play: Crystal's mother had a list of planned games and even prizes for the winners!

Peter was happy to see his foster daughter and niece getting along. In fact, things were going so well, he allowed himself to relax a little. Allie was having a blast. She was the most excited to play the games, embracing the novelty of a kid's birthday party, and she even won a prize for pin the tail on the donkey that had her skipping around with delight!

All was going quite nicely until the lull between the games and dinner. The kids were entertaining themselves and Allie decided to show off her magic tricks.

"I know magic!" She announced.

The girls looked on with awe, some believing her, others doubting. "What kind of magic?" Crystal asked. "Like Harry Potter?"

"Who's Harry Potter?" Allie asked not having seen the movies or heard the books. "This is real magic. Watch!" She showed them her hands, then made a quarter appear. She always had a couple on her so she could do her tricks.

"Woooooow!" All of them clapped and cheered in amazement, demanding that she do more. She showed them a few different times, getting the same excited reaction every time. "Can you do any other magic tricks?" Crystal asked.

"I can make stuff disappear!" Allie answered. She'd been practicing and was sure she could do it. She was feeling confident enough.

"Really? How do you do it? Show us, show us!" Crystal chanted. The crowd huddled around Allie, curious eyes staring intensely at her.

Allie borrowed Crystal's one doll that happened to be nearby. "Abracadabra! Alakazam!"

She made the doll disappear easily. Lucky for her the doll had been small as she had no experience with big items.

Cheers and claps from the audience. Except for Crystal, of course, who just realized her doll was gone and started crying. "Where's my doll? Give it baaack!" she shouted, crying loudly.

Allie looked startled and felt panic sear through her. She hadn't expected her new friend to get so upset. She was so startled she blanked on how to bring the doll back. "Hold on. I gotta think about it."

Crystal was growing more and more impatient, and even though her friends tried to calm her down, no one was succeeding.

"C'mon Allie, hurry up! Think faster!" one girl said, trying to calm Crystal like she'd seen her mother calm her baby sister.

"I'm trying!" Allie insisted. She was near tears herself though and couldn't figure it out. "I forget how!"

Crystal finally lost it so much that she ran off crying, "Mommyyyyy!" Pointing her fat finger straight at Allie she yelled, "That girl took my doll! I don't like her! I want her to leaveeee!" Crystal's mom tried to shush her but looked at Peter for help.

"Allie," he called, motioning for her to come over. "Get over here, now please."

Allie's eyes were wide and she looked at Peter with fright. She hesitated but cautiously went over to him, making sure not to get too close.

"What happened?" he asked, tugging her towards him.

Allie looked up at him tearfully. "I was doing magic tricks...and she got sad and I can't remember how Neal said to bring it back..."

Peter gave her a doubtful look. "Allie, you need to give Crystal her doll back and stop playing magic tricks for a little while. You can ask Neal when we get home, okay?"

"But I'll ruin the trick if I don't do it right!" Allie insisted. "It'll ruin the magic and I can't do that!"

Peter gave the little girl a look as if warning her not to push his buttons. "Allie, remember the rules?"

"But I didn't steal it!" Allie exclaimed. "I can't just hand it back. I can't ruin the magic! A magician never tells how they do the trick!"

Peter felt a headache coming on, and now all of the parents were staring at him. He took a deep breath and stood. "Let's go have a talk," he told Allie, not giving her much of a choice as he grabbed her hand and walked to a more private area.

"But I don't wanna talk," Allie protested softly, starting to cry a little. Why didn't he understand that she couldn't just give it back? Neal would understand the rules of magic.

"Listen, kiddo," Peter said, sitting on the front doorstep and pulling Allie to sit on his lap. "I know you don't want to ruin the trick, but remember that we're at someone else's house and we have to follow their rules. Crystal let you use her toy to show your magic trick and now she wants her toy back, so the only thing you can do is give it back and admit you forgot the rest of the trick - you can't just keep the toy forever."

"I don't wanna keep it forever," Allie insisted. "I just don't want them to know where it was...magic tricks are important. I don't wanna ruin them..."

Peter nodded. "So how about this... I'm going to close my eyes and you're going to take out the doll and nobody will ever know where you hid it, so everybody wins."

"Okay," Allie agreed softly, glancing around first to ensure no one else was nearby. "Close your eyes tight."

Peter even covered his eyes to appease the little girl, but held onto her tightly knowing her tendency to run away - he definitely didn't want to take that risk! He waited until she instructed him to open his eyes again, and smiled, giving her a kiss on the forehead, proud of her for learning so quickly and easily. It was almost too easy! Maybe he really was starting to get the hang of this. "Are you enjoying the party at least?"

"I was," Allie told him, snuggling in. "But I don't think they like me anymore..." She stared down at the doll still in her hands.

"Just apologize to them and I'm sure everything will be fine," Peter said, helping the little girl up and holding her hand as they walked together back to the party.

Allie went with him, carrying the doll. When they reached Crystal and her mother, she handed the doll over. "I'm sorry..." she apologized softly. "I forgot how to do the rest of the trick..."

Crystal didn't care though. She snatched the doll back and stalked off, saying nothing to the girl. Peter was kind of shocked at how rude his niece was being but decided to let it go. It was just a kid thing... she'd get over it.

Allie looked hurt. "Can we go home? I don't think she wants me here anymore." She glanced up at Peter, feeling very unsure about staying.

"Just a little longer, we still have to eat the pizza! Don't worry, Alliecat," he said, stealing Natalie's pet name for her, "Crystal will come around." Peter gave her a light squeeze and kiss on the head, then sent her off toward the group of children.

Allie sighed and went to rejoin the other kids. "Can I play?" She asked hopefully.

But the other kids wanted nothing to do with Allie. They scoffed and turned away, continuing on with their own business.

"I said I was sorry," Allie insisted, eyes filling with tears.

But no one paid attention or even cared. Even when Crystal ran by happily with the doll in her hand, she just stuck her tongue out at Allie and ganged up with her friends, pointing and laughing.

Peter said it would be okay to go play with them, but he was wrong.

When Allie finally couldn't take anymore, especially after being told to go away so many times, she finally did just that. She had already given Peter the prize she'd won, and she didn't feel she deserved pizza or a gift bag, so without a word, she left the yard and began walking down the street, crying softly. She reached a corner and turned and eventually crossed a couple streets before realizing she was lost. Not knowing what else to do she just kept walking, as if on autopilot, trying to avoid any strangers who may spot her.

She eventually found a set of stairs leading to the subway and followed the crowd down, sitting on the hot, smelly subway cart for a little while. When she grew tired of the first train, she switched to another, later returning to the streets to walk some more.

At first, Allie didn't know where she was. But then she started to recognize different places, like the playground she used to go with Natalie, and the store where they always played tricks on the owner. She wasn't sure how she'd gotten there – she'd wanted to go home, but had apparently found the wrong one. She glanced around, exhausted. I wish Daddy were here, Allie thought, big tears falling from her eyes as she sat down on a park bench, waiting for someone to find her.

-x-x-x-x-

Peter didn't realize that Allie was missing until it was almost time for them to leave - in fact, he'd just assumed she'd gone back to playing with the other kids and was actually quite happy that there hadn't been any complaints. Then when it was time to go, he called for Allie, but no answer. He asked a couple of kids and parents, but no one had seen her.

He was starting to get frantic now. "Allie!" he called, tearing through the house, searching in every room, under every bed, in every closet. He checked every inch of the backyard, now in a panic.

Peter frantically dialed Elizabeth's number to see if she had heard from Allie. But of course not. Allie wouldn't go to Elizabeth first... she'd go to Neal.

"No, I haven't seen her," Neal said after answering his phone and hearing the news.

"Dammit Neal... where could she be? Where would you be?" Peter tried to calm himself by taking deep breaths, then told Neal his plans to search the area.

Where could she be? Neal paced in his living room trying to turn his worry into productive thoughts. Sure, the six-year-old was really tough and street smart, but she'd always had her big sister to look out for her! If I were Allie where would I go? The park… the zoo… to find Natalie… and then it hit him.

Minutes later, Neal turned the corner from his old home and instantly noticed the small figure sitting on a bench, staring around curiously as if looking for someone. "Allie?" he called, waiting for her to turn towards him before jogging in her direction.

When she spotted him she felt relief wash over her. "DADDY!" she shrieked tearfully as she jumped up and went running for him.

"Allie! How did you get here? What are you doing? Peter is worried sick!" He caught her as she jumped into his arms and held onto her tightly. "We have to call him to let him know you're okay."

Allie latched onto him tightly as she sobbed. "I was trying to go home! I wanted to go home! Peter said to play with the other kids but they didn't want to play with me anymore! I couldn't make Crystal's dolly appear and they all hate me for it! They laughed at me and called me names!"

Neal couldn't understand a word that the little girl was saying - she was a blubbering mess. "Allie, hey, it's okay, shhhh," he told her calmly, patting her a back gently. "It's okay baby, you're okay now." He held her close and began carrying her back to his place, also managing to dig the phone out of his pocket to call Peter and let him know she was safe.

Allie buried her face into Neal's shoulder as she tried to calm down. She hadn't been this upset in a while. "I just wanted to go home… I didn't wanna ruin Crystal's party anymore..."

When they arrived inside of Neal's home, he sat her down and brought her a glass of water, then sat across from her. "Peter is on his way," he said. "Now, let's try again. What happened exactly?"

Allie sipped at the water as she rubbed her eyes. She explained her story again, crying out, "I didn't wanna ruin her party more so I headed home, but I got lost and ended up at my old house. I told Peter I wanted to go home... He said it would be fine, but he lied!" She sniffed a little. "Lizbeth should spank him for lying to me! 'Cause things were not okay! And now he's gonna be mad at me! I just wanted to get away!" She rubbed at her eyes some more, glancing at him, speaking again after a long moment. "Are you mad at me, Daddy?"

He smiled. "No, Allie, I'm not mad," he assured her. "But you can't just run off like that without telling anyone. If you start feeling upset and like everyone is being mean to you, then you have to tell Peter again or tell him you want to call me."

"I didn't wanna keep ruining her birthday," Allie told him softly, staring down at her lap. "I can't do anything right..."

Suddenly they heard a frantic pounding on the door before it flew open and Peter came running without waiting for an invite.

"Oh thank god!" he said, heaving a loud sigh and squeezing the mess out of Allie. "You had me so worried! Don't you ever run off like that again," he said, kissing the top of her head, then pulling her away and saying, "What were you thinking?"

"I didn't belong there… They told me that lots..."

"Listen to me," Peter said, squatting to her level and making her look him in the eyes. "I don't care how mean they were to you, you do not run off like that... And to end up on this side of town, you must have even taken the train by yourself... Anything could have happened to you!" He fluctuated between feeling worried and angry and struggled to keep himself together.

Allie shrunk in her seat a little as she watched him with nervous eyes.

Neal piped up, "it sounds like your niece also needs a talking to." He ignored the glare that Peter gave him and now talked to Allie. "If they're calling you names or telling you to leave, tell an adult, don't take matters into your own hands."

"I didn't wanna ruin her birthday and have her hate me more," Allie whimpered, beginning to get tired of repeating herself. "Birthdays are special...if you get one. Natty always tried to get us cupcakes... 'Sides Natty and I used to go places all the time."

"Well you're not living under Natty's rules anymore," Peter said. "I need to know where you are at all times, no matter what. Do you understand, Young Lady?"

Allie nodded quietly.

Peter sighed and looked at Neal, and thanked him. "Let's go, Allie, we'll talk more at home."

"I don't wanna talk anymore..." Allie whined slightly as she slid off her chair to hug Neal. "I'd rather stay here with Daddy..."

Neal gave Peter a pathetic look, knowing what a "talk" meant and feeling kind of bad for Allie. He rubbed her back and looked down at her and said, "We'll hang out tomorrow kid, okay?"

"Promise?" Allie asked hopefully. "You gotta to show me how to do the trick right so I don't mess it up again."

"Promise," he said, kissing her on the cheek and handing her off to Peter.

Peter kept a firm grip on her hand as they walked to the car, somewhat worried she'd try to run off again. But Allie went with him silently, too afraid to leave his side as she didn't want to get lost again! She was unsure of what to say to make things better. All she ever seemed to do was get in trouble even when trying to get away so she wouldn't hit anyone. "I didn't hit her..." She piped up softly. "I wanted to..."

Peter glanced at the little girl. "I'm proud of you for not hitting her," he said, though he probably would have preferred that to her running off!

Allie went quiet again as they got into the car. She sniffled all the way home, trying to distract herself from the discomfort stirring inside of her - she had the feeling that she'd be getting a spanking when they got home, and she really wasn't looking forward to that.

Both Peter and Allie would agree that it was the longest car ride ever. When they finally pulled into the driveway, Natalie and Elizabeth were in the doorway waiting anxiously. Natty was the first one to run and tackle Allie in a hug. "Sis! I missed you!"

Allie hugged her tightly in return. "I wished you were with me… I got lost and found mommy's home...and Daddy. I found Daddy."

"O-M-G you went all the way back there?" Natalie looked at her little sister in awe - maybe she was about to get the spanking of her life, but Natalie admired her courage.

Allie shrugged. "I was trying to get here. I rode the train and got off and Daddy found me. I was pretty scared 'till I saw him."

In the meantime, Peter and Elizabeth were discussing the whole situation and upcoming consequences. Natalie even felt the butterflies in her tummy when Peter turned to Allie and said, "Allison, let's go upstairs to have our talk."

Allie's eyes filled with tears and she clung a little tighter to her sister. "I don't wanna talk… I don't like your talks..." She tried to ignore the fact he had used her whole name as no one ever really used it so it was strange to hear.

Natalie tried to be courageous for her sister, telling Peter he wasn't allowed to touch Allie, but then he threatened to carry them both upstairs if she didn't comply.

Allie couldn't bring herself to do it... He was still a little scary to her at times. She was crying and finally let go of her sister, only to duck under a table where Satchmo lay watching them with bored eyes. She clung to the dog in hopes he would keep Peter away.

"Allison, let's go," Peter said impatiently. So much for bonding time with Allie.

"No," Allie replied through tears as she hugged Satchmo tighter.

Peter sighed and peeked under the table. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you'll be forgiven and be able to play with your sister and Satchmo."

"I don't want to," Allie cried as she glanced at him. "I like being able to sit!"

"You're testing my patience Young Lady," he grumbled. "Out of there NOW."

Allie shrunk more. "No..." she insisted through tears. "Not when you're scary..."

Peter sighed and now looked at Elizabeth who said, "Maybe you should give her a little time."

He sat down, holding his head in his hands, wondering why he'd signed up for this - raising two troubled kids was becoming more and more difficult each day.

Allie watched them both quietly. She popped her thumb into her mouth as she leaned against Satchmo. She did not want to be spanked at all! And with how angry Peter seemed she bet it was gonna be the worst one yet and she was scared to go upstairs with him.

Natalie crawled under the table with Allie, snuggling up with her and Satchmo, and they all stayed there for a long while. Then Allie finally decided to crawl out and climb into Peter's lap. She snuggled into him, taking her thumb out of her mouth only long enough to speak. "I'm sorry..." She spoke sincerely yet softly. She pressed herself up against him seeking comfort. She was never going to be ready for the spanking but she was ready for the cuddles and comfort.

Peter sighed, softening up a little and wrapping his arms around the little girl. "I'm sorry, too, for getting so angry. You really scared me though."

"I didn't mean too," Allie mumbled around her thumb. She removed it briefly from her mouth. "You scare me when you get angry..."

"More of a reason to do as you're told," Peter answered. "Are you ready to go upstairs?"

Allie whimpered a little and popped her thumb back into her mouth. "Never..?"

Peter nodded. "Are you willing to come upstairs now...?"

Allie nodded quietly, tears filling her eyes once more. She was scared but knew she didn't have much of a choice as he was going to spank her regardless of how long she hid. She buried her face into him as she held on tightly.

Peter lifted her, carrying her upstairs and doing his best to ignore her cries.

As they approached Allie's room he sat on her My Little Pony blanket and put her over his lap. "What is this spanking for?" he asked.

"For leaving the party without a grown-up," Allie whimpered as she removed her thumb from her mouth. "You woulda left too if you were being made fun of!"

"I have been made fun of before, Allie," Peter said, landing the first flurry of smacks. "And what do you think I did?"

"Owwwww!" Allie cried out. "I don't know!"

"Take a guess," Peter said, pausing the spanking for a moment so that she could think clearly. He had barely started but wanted to make sure to drive the lesson home.

"Did you hit them?" Allie whimpered. "'Cause I wanted to hit them."

"No, guess again."

"Didja tells a grown up?" Allie asked as she squirmed.

"That's right, that's exactly what I did. And then someone else was on the receiving end of this punishment, not me," he said, reminding himself to call his sister later to scold her about her daughter's mistreatment of Allie. Then he delivered a flurry of swats to the little girl's bottom, holding onto her so she wouldn't squirm away.

Allie started to cry more as she was used to running. Running usually kept her and her sister safe. "I told you I wanted to go home!"

Those words pierced his heart, making him feel a little guilty. "I know, honey, but you may have to tell me again and be more specific about what's going on."

"I didn't wanna ruin her birthday!" Allie replied and kicked her feet some.

He continued raining down the smacks. "It's nice that you care about ruining her party, but I don't think it would have - even if it did, it's no excuse for running away Young Lady." He stopped spanking for long enough to pull down Allie's shorts. "Do you know what could have happened to you out there by yourself?"

"Scary people coulda got me?" Allie sobbed as she tried to wriggle away. "Noooooo! No more!" Her backside was sore enough with her shorts up; she didn't want to think of how much it'd hurt being spanked over her panties!

Peter knew it was useless to ask for her to be still, so he circled Allie's waist to keep her into place, continuing the lecture. "That's right, somebody could kidnap you or you could get hurt really bad, more than this spanking hurts." He slapped her bottom mildly and rhythmically, his hand covering her entire bum with each swat.

"Owwwwww!" Allie wailed. "I'm sorryyyyyy!"

He moved to the sit spots and smacked her a few times, leaving her bottom a bright pink color. "Are you starting to learn a lesson?"

"Yessss!" Allie sobbed as her legs kicked and she wriggled more.

Peter stopped lecturing for a moment and focused on covering her bottom, turning it a darker pink. Then he said, "You know this has to be on the bare," and tugged her panties to her knees.

Allie started to cry harder. "No it doesn't!" she wailed.

"It won't be much, but if you ever run off again it will be only on the bare, no warm up." He re-positioned her as she kept squirming, then rained down ten hard spanks on her bare bottom. He followed with ten more on the sit spots then stopped, rubbing her back and telling her it was all over now.

Allie lay there sobbing hard. She wouldn't be running off again any time soon that's for sure!

Peter finally lifted her up and held her tight. "Love you, Alliecat," he said.

Allie buried herself into him as she cried. "Love you," she choked out through her tears.

Peter gently eased her panties and shorts back up, before grabbing her fleece blanket and moving them both to the rocking chair in her room. He sat and covered her up, and she curled into him sucking her thumb as she tried to calm down and stop crying. He rocked her, speaking soothing words to her. He liked moments like this when she wanted to snuggle with him - he just wished he didn't always have to spank her first. He hoped one day soon she would decide to cuddle with him just because - like she always did with Neal.

After the snuggles with Allie, Peter made sure to call his sister. Knowing that Allie was listening in the doorway, he said extra loudly, "I'm glad to hear she will be getting spanked for it." He thanked his sister for understanding and smiled at Allie. Maybe it hadn't been the bonding experience he'd expected, but the day did help him feel closer to his youngest, which was all he really wanted anyway.


	5. Allie & Natalie's First Day of School

Spanking series, co-written with LenniLuvsBrian, mostly M/f, mostly non-consensual

A/N: This is an AU in which Neal and Alex have two daughters. Background is explained throughout the story.

Series Summary: 12-year-old Natalie is an independent and rebellious pre-teen, who has been taking care of her little sister, Allie (age 6). When their mom is arrested, the girls run away to find their father, only to end up in the care of an FBI agent and his wife instead.

Chapter 5 Summary: How much trouble can 2 kids cause on the first day of school? Much more than they bargained for! Follow the foster kids as Allie tries to make it in kindergarten without her big sister, and Natalie tries to figure out a way to make sure her little sis is okay.

-x-x-x-x-

Allie paced near the front door with her My Little Pony backpack in hand, casting worried eyes on her sister and foster dad. "What if nobody likes me? An' what if they're mean? An' what if it's boring and not fun? An' what if they forget to feed me?!... Can't I just stay home with Lizbeth?"

"No, Allie, you have to go," Peter said firmly for the third time, tightening his tie and glaring at his watch. Where was Neal? They were supposed to have left 5 minutes ago!

"But I don't wanna..." Allie replied. "I wanna stay home."

It was the first day of school, and neither Allie nor Natalie was looking forward to it. Natalie because she'd missed so many days of school the year before that she was stuck in 6th grade again, but this time away from her friends and unable to fake sick as she had with her mom (Peter and Elizabeth couldn't be swayed so easily). Allie, on the other hand, was super nervous because she'd never been to school at all. It was something that only big kids had to do, and she wasn't ready to be a big kid yet!

"Natalie, can you please make sure your sister has everything? And double check your bag too," Peter said in a disgruntled voice, then called out to Elizabeth that they were about to leave - Neal could meet them on the way.

"I don't see why you won't just let me take Allie to school... it's not like we've never walked around alone before," Natalie scowled. "And then you won't have to be so cranky about being late." Peter narrowed his eyes in her direction and began to respond, but Natalie cut him off by asking Allie, "you got everything?"

"I dunno..." she answered softly, then muttered, "where's Daddy?" She hugged her new backpack to her chest and stopped pacing, lip quivering as fearful tears threatened to spill.

"He's coming," Natalie promised, tugging at her sister's bag.

Elizabeth came into the room to bid them goodbye and smiled as Allie dropped her backpack and latched onto her. "You're going to do great today," El said, combing her fingers through Allie's hair. "You'll love it!"

"I'm not so sure," Allie whined, snuggling up to her foster mom.

Natalie dug through her sister's backpack, groaning in frustration. "Where are your pencils? And the notebook? And why are there only toys in here? C'mon Allie, I'll help you." She reached out to the little girl.

Allie took her sister's hand and sniffled, wiping a tear out of her eyes. "'Cause I'm gonna play all day and my toys wanted to come... they said so." She gave an affirmative nod, determined to not let something like "school" keep her from the tea party she'd planned with her favorite dolls, Sally and Angie.

Natalie sighed loudly. "You can't just play all day," she said, though Allie was in kindergarten so who knows, maybe she could. Instead of admitting this, she said, "the only thing you can do to make school better is figure out a way to make time go faster."

They pushed open the door to Allie's room and Natalie gathered the school supplies that'd been buried under the mattress. She could feel her little sister's quick, sweaty breath on the back of her neck and tried to remember what it was like going to school for the first time - had she been as terrified as Allie was now?

Checking the door to make sure no one was listening, Natalie whispered, "keep some of the toys but don't tell Peter... and don't let anyone see or they might take it from you. And don't take shit from anyone, okay? If they're mean to you, just tell me and I'll show them what happens when they mess with my little sis."

Allie frowned. "I really don't wanna go Natty. I wanna play with my own toys. What if they take Sally or Angie? Then what do I do?" She could feel herself near tears again and just wanted to curl up somewhere and hide.

Natty knew she should say to tell the teacher, but instead she responded, "you take it back and show them who's boss."

Allie nodded. "Okay, I can do that," she murmured, squeezing her sister in a hug. "Can't you go with me? Please?" Allie had rarely strayed from Natty's side, and the times she had, she'd been with an adult she knew and trusted... but she didn't know or trust any of these people, and she was supposed to spend the whole day with them?! How could they expect her to go without her big sister!

"Mmmmmm... maybe," Natalie said, already plotting a way to sneak to Allie's school.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud slamming of the front door and Peter shouting: "Girls! Let's go!"

Allie grumbled as she threw the backpack over her shoulders and headed downstairs, face lighting up when she noticed Neal had arrived. "Daddy!" she shrieked, jumping from the bottom of the stairs into his arms. "Can you show me magic tricks in the car?" She grabbed his hat and put it on her head, asking for one of her own, and a magic set and rabbit, too. And for a moment, just a moment, she allowed herself to forget all her worries about school, and just enjoyed her dad's company.

-x-x-x-x-

They dropped off Natalie first. Of course, she'd demanded them to stop a block away from her school - the last thing she needed was someone seeing that she was associated with the feds! Before she left, she gave her sister a long hug. "I promise everything's gonna be okay," she encouraged, but really wasn't sure who she was trying to convince, Allie or herself.

Peter turned the corner and crept towards Allie's school, growling every so often at pedestrians or cars who cut him off. Neal could see his boss' impatience amplifying, so he decided to strike up a conversation with the scared little girl in the backseat. "How ya doing, Alliecat?" he asked.

She turned to him, pushing Neal's too-large hat up so her eyes peered under its brim at her father. "I'm scared," she admitted. "Why do I hafta go? I coulda stayed with Lizbeth and Satchmo."

"Natalie already explained it to you, Allie. You have to go to school, and that's final," Peter said with an exasperated sigh.

Allie made a face and stuck her tongue out at him. "You're being mean and not listening to me!"

"What Peter is trying to say," Neal interjected, "is that we know it's scary, but like Natalie explained, you have to go to school so you can get smarter and..." he couldn't remember what other excuses Natalie had given - she'd had much more practice reasoning with the 6-year-old than he had.

"And it's illegal for you not to go," Peter added.

Allie pouted. "But I don't know these people and Natty won't be there to keep me safe."

"Don't worry," Neal promised. "Peter and I already did our research to make sure there aren't any bad guys here."

They finally found street parking around the corner from the school, and Peter took a minute to calm himself. "We'll all meet the teacher together and make sure she's safe before your father and I go to work, what do you think?" Peter asked, remembering his wife's lecture from the night before. She was always giving him hell about being insensitive, so he was trying. But it was definitely a challenge for him!

"I'd like that," Allie told him softly. "I don't wanna go in alone... I'd just run back out." She sniffled a little bit, trying not to cry.

Neal grabbed her trembling hand and the three of them walked in together.

Mrs. Hackensack was a plump woman in her mid-40s with an outdated poofy hairstyle and bright red lipstick that gave off an eerie clown vibe. Her overly-enthusiastic voice bounced through the classroom as she showed parents and children around. When she finally approached the trio, Allie had almost decided it was time to escape. She was practically hiding behind Neal and tugging at his hand a bit, trying to signal this wasn't going to happen and it was time to leave.

"I wanna go home now," she insisted when the clown-like woman started talking. "Please Daddy! I'll be super, super good for Lizbeth! I swear!"

Mrs. Clown Lady stooped over Allie. "We're gonna have lots of fun in KINDERGARTEN today," she basically shouted. "What is your name, little girl?"

Peter knew Allie wouldn't respond well to this woman and was starting to have his doubts about public school for his girls. "If I may, Mrs... Hackensack," he pulled the woman aside to explain some of the challenges she'd face with Allie.

In the meantime, Neal squatted to Allie's level, flipping his hat off her head and spinning it before planting it on his own head. "Hey, I thought you were going to be a brave big girl today? What happened?"

"That woman is scary as hell!" Allie exclaimed tearfully, using a word she had heard her sister say. "I don't wanna be brave anymore! I'm tired of being brave!"

Neal looked around, thankful nobody had heard her. "Allie, you can't say 'hell' here," he reminded. "What about if you get a prize for behaving at school? How about a magic set?"

Allie thought about it a moment, nodding. "Yeah! An' I wanna hat like yours… an' a rabbit! An' I wanna go to the zoo, an' then the toy store, an' then the ice cream store…"

He chuckled before she could think of more rewards for herself. "You're asking for a lot, Kid."

"Not that much…"

"But maybe we can plan a trip to the zoo after you've finished a week of school," Neal negotiated as Peter came back with an apprehensive look on his face.

"What about the rest?" Allie asked as she looked up at her dad and Peter hopefully. She had always wanted to go to the zoo, and could really go for learning more magic tricks!

"We'll see," Neal said, then whispered, "and maybe I'll have a surprise for you this evening when you get home." He grinned and winked at her as the clown-lady came over with another little girl.

"Allie, this is Alyssa. She's going to show you around to see all of our games, toys, and colors," Mrs. Hackensack gushed, trying to lower her voice for the scared little girl. "And later today we'll go play outside on the jungle gym... whattaya say?"

Allie glanced at her classmate. "I guess so," she sighed.

Neal unlatched from Allie and took her hand, allowing Alyssa to lead them to the toys. "I like your backpack," she said to Allie, pointing at the My Little Pony character. "That one's my favorite!"

"I love Rainbowdash, too!" Allie answered enthusiastically. She spotted crayons and paper. "We get to draw?"

"Yeah, c'mon!" the kindergartner said, then looked up at Neal. He took the hint.

"Okay Allie, remember the zoo, and I'll see you at 3 o'clock sharp, okay?"

"I'll remember everything, promise! And don't be late like you were this morning." She let a smile escape and reached for a piece of paper. "I'll draw you pictures!"

"Can't wait," Neal said, then gave her a squeeze and a kiss on the top of the head. He and Peter waved goodbye from the door, watching as Allie and her new friend sat at the coloring table, passing out crayons to each other.

"I don't have a good feeling about this," Peter admitted to Neal, taking one last glance back at the kindergartner before heading to work.

-x-x-x-x-

"Natalie!" the homeroom teacher shouted, snapping the 12-year-old out of her thoughts. It was the second time he'd caught her zoning out, and he was getting fed up. "If you're not going to listen, you can spend the rest of class sitting in the hallway."

Natalie glared in his direction and stood angrily, throwing her backpack over her shoulder as she held up two fingers. "Peace!" she said, exiting.

She knew he had the right to be upset - she'd spent the last 30 minutes bored out of her mind because they were reviewing material she'd known for the last two years. So instead of paying attention, Natalie had become lost in her own thoughts, pondering how different she was from her classmates who wore modest clothing and sat up straight in their seats, too virtuous to speak out of turn. They'd admired her Air Jordan sneakers but were too scared of Natalie's tough demeanor to say anything to her. And then they all gossipped about expensive summer vacations with their middle class, government-employed parents, scrolling through pictures on their cell phones, and Natalie wondered how she could ever fit in. This, of course, made her think of Allie and how she was doing, which had been when the teacher interrupted her. But it wasn't a big deal. At least in the hallway, she could plot an escape plan.

After the classroom door slammed, Natalie scanned the area, searching for the best exits where she could escape without being noticed - it looked like the rear doors didn't get much attention during class hours, and the bathroom was near. Maybe she could hang out there after the bell rang and later slip out unnoticed?

"Miss Morgan!" called an old bespectacled man, who from his position at the end of the hallway (about 100 feet away) resembled her father's friend, Mozzie. "My office, now," he hissed. She finally recognized him as the assistant principal, Mr. Erikson, and followed him without protest to the front of the building.

Once inside the office, Mr. Erickson motioned for Natalie to take a seat.

"Miss Morgan," he began. "You need an education. It is very important to pay attention to your lessons so that you can advance in your studies and eventually graduate and go on to amazing things."

Natalie didn't pay much attention, just nodded obediently. Getting in trouble so early in the day was not on her agenda... at least she had to stay off the radar until she was able to escape! "I'll try to do better," she promised, batting her eyelashes like a good girl. One of the traits she'd inherited from Neal was her ability to be charming when necessary.

Mr. Erikson dismissed her when the bell rang, and she bolted from the office, hurrying upstairs to her second-period class. Getting in trouble had reminded her that she would have to be careful while executing her plan of escape - she had to figure out a way to leave where no one would blame her for it. But what could she do?

At her locker she grabbed her notebook and pencil bag, not bothering to put it in her backpack as it would make her late. She was lost deep in thought when she plowed right into a skinny blonde cheerleader.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, weirdo!" the girl shouted, pushing the items out of Natalie's hands and bellowing a taunting laugh to her cheerleader friends.

Natalie narrowed her eyes but instead of punching her in the face, bent down to pick up her things and glanced at the name etched into the girl's skirt: Carrie. A name she'd already heard a couple of times this morning. Carrie Vanderbilt was one of the most popular girls in school and deserved to be taken down a notch. Natalie was already plotting revenge. She'd show them what happened if they messed with the new girl!

-x-x-x-x-

Allie's tongue poked out as she held the waxy crayon in her hand, intensely focused on her drawing. So far, she'd been doing okay, mostly because she was absorbed in her artwork. First, she drew a picture for her foster parents: a house and rainbow with their family, Satchmo included. Then she rested it on the edge of the table while she grabbed another piece of construction paper, starting on a picture for her daddy. She'd drawn the two of them together with a magic hat and bunny rabbit when a boy strolled past her and snatched up the cup of crayons Allie was using.

"I need these," was all he said.

"Hey! Give it back! I was using those!"

"Not anymore, they're mine now," he spat, taking the crayons to the next table and sitting down. Allie waited until he was seated and then stomped over toward him, grabbing the cup back. "Those are mine!" he shouted.

"I was using them first!" Allie shouted back.

He grabbed the colors, but Allie was stronger and held onto the cup tightly until he let go and crayons went spilling everywhere. Allie growled and bent down to pick them up and the boy grabbed up her two drawings, ripping them in half.

"What are you doing!" Allie shouted as she threw the cup down and reached for her art. "That's mine! Give it back!"

The boy held the papers away from her, laughing and taunting her as he ripped them again and again until he held a thousand tiny pieces, then threw them in her face. "Now give me back my colors!"

Allie's eyes filled with tears as she shoved the boy hard as she could and sent him flying into the table and knocking over a chair. "You big ole jerk! Go to hell!"

Mrs. Hackensack noticed the commotion and separated the two children, scolding Allie for her language and sending each student to time out for 5 minutes. "We do not push each other in this classroom," she told Allie, then turned to the boy to say, "and we do not rip up each other's drawings." She plopped the two children in chairs on opposite sides of the lockers and set the timer. "When the big hand of the clock is on the 4, and the timer rings, you can get up," she said, pointing above the cabinet where the clock hung, second-hand creeping along slowly.

Allie scowled, folding her arms in a pout as she sat in time out. "This isn't fair, he deserved to be pushed!" she yelled to the teacher. "He's a big jerk!"

"That's enough!" the teacher roared.

But Allie felt justified in having shoved the boy… After all, she'd been minding her own business and he was the one who'd taken her crayons! And she'd done just what her sister had told her to! If only Natty were there to help her feel better and to beat up the stupid boy.

"I said I didn't want to come here," Allie grumbled to herself, feeling the tears threatening to stream down her freckled cheeks. "I just wanna go home."

She looked up at the big clock and Natalie's words echoed in her head: "the only thing you can do to make school better is figure out a way to make time go faster."

There must be a way.

-x-x-x-x-

Natalie's day hadn't gotten any better.

Bumping into the cheerleader, Carrie, had her on edge, and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to focus on plotting an escape plan. Any time her classmates giggled, Natalie spiraled into suspicions that they were laughing at her, mocking her for her clothes, her lack of cell phone, her criminal parents, her foster family. It made her palms sweaty and heart race, and it was harder to breathe. But then she reminded herself to relax, that she was just being paranoid - no one at this school knew anything about her.

Having phys ed for third-period was a relief... at the very least Natalie could get rid of her restlessness by climbing the three flights of stairs to the gym. And it worked, sorta, until she saw the crowd of girls in the locker room and immediately recognized Carrie the Evil Cheerleader Bitch.

Shit! Not her again! Natalie groaned to herself, though at the same time, a light bulb went off. Maybe there's some way I can use this to my advantage...

Slipping inside, Natalie easily blended with the crowd so that Carrie wouldn't see her. Coach West was giving out slips of paper with their new lockers and combinations, so Natalie grabbed hers then scampered to hide in an abandoned corner. She pressed herself against the wall and stayed low, focusing her eyes on Carrie, who was showing off her new iPhone to her faithful followers.

I deserve that iPhone more than she does.

Coach came in to hurry everyone along so Natalie leaned forward, squinting at Carrie as she put in her locker combination - 43 (the last two digits of Natalie's old landline number), 6 (Allie's age), 18 (the age Natalie wanted to be). Then she tucked herself back into hiding, repeating the numbers to herself and trying to figure out what she could do once she had Carrie's phone. For one, she'd check on Allie. If Neal bothered responding and Allie was okay, it'd give Natalie a little more time to figure out how to escape. But she couldn't hold onto Carrie's phone forever… eventually, she'd have to ditch it.

Natalie waited for Coach West to come back in and yell at a few stragglers, then eased out of hiding. She eyed the doorway again to make sure nobody was looking, then marched to Carrie's locker, twisting the lock to the combination she'd memorized. It popped open with ease, revealing a large pink Gucci bag. Natalie glanced back at her own Jansport backpack, feeling a pang of envy and missing her old life. Alex, her mom, would figure out a way to get her a Gucci bag… if she wasn't in jail.

A voice outside caused Natalie to snap out of her mind, and she tore the bag open to find a shiny iPhone enveloped in an ugly pink case. Natalie admired it for a moment, then popped the phone out of its case and stuffed it in her back pocket.

She slammed the locker shut seconds before a teacher scolded, "What are you doing in here? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"Umm, yeah, I just needed to get a… tampon," Natalie answered, blushing.

"Okay, but hurry up and get back to class."

Natalie breathed a sigh of relief and scurried off to the bathroom. She quickly fished out her temporary phone, figuring out by the smudges on the screen that Carrie's password was 227743 (it was easy to figure out since it spells CARRIE on the keypad). Smiling, she changed the password and wallpaper, then opened up a blank text message, typing in Neal's number.

have u heard from allie? is she ok?

She didn't have time to wait for his response as the teacher came back, rushing her. So she shoved the phone back into her pocket and went to class, smiling - she'd figured out a way to really get back at the evil cheerleader bitch!

-x-x-x-x-

By the time Mrs. Hackensack let Allie leave the corner, play time was over and they weren't allowed to draw anymore because there was a "Welcome Back" assembly in the auditorium that they were required to attend. Allie still felt mistreated and was upset, so she definitely didn't feel like following the stupid teacher and mean classmates when they lined up to go. But it was unlikely that the clown-lady would let her stay alone. She had to think of a plan.

What would Natty tell me to do? she whispered to herself, wishing again that her big sister was there with her.

Scanning the room, her eyes fell upon the coat closet. It was a perfect size and was dark enough that she'd be able to slip inside unnoticed. So Allie casually strolled to the end of the line, waiting for her teacher's attention to be elsewhere, and snuck away. She hid there quietly until the screams and laughs of her classmates faded, then she looked up at the clock.

Her mom had made time go faster once. Allie had watched her move a clock forward for something called Daylight Savings Time when they were having a party and they wanted everyone to leave already. And it'd worked! Even everyone's cell phone's time had moved forward, too!

So that was it - the only way to get out of school would be to make time go faster as her mom had, and like Natalie had suggested. Allie eyed the clock warily as she didn't exactly know how to tell time. She did know, though, that her cartoons came on when the little hand was on the 4 and the big one on the 12. So maybe if she pushed them to that it would be time to go home. Oh, how she hoped! She just wanted to go home!

Allie pushed a chair to the cabinet, giving a quick glance to the door to make sure no one was looking. Then she climbed onto the chair, then up to the top of the cabinet, fearless. The view from above was incredible, she could see every inch of the room: the coloring area, the plastic kitchen set across from it, computers that lined the back wall, and the colorful alphabet rug. She wouldn't miss this place at all!

As she reached for the heavy clock, unhooking it from the wall, a visitor entered the room and startled her. "Young Lady, what are you doing up there?!" the voice boomed.

She glanced down and gave an innocent look to the tall man dressed in a freshly pressed blue suit. "Fixing the clock?"

"Where is your teacher, Young Lady? Where is the rest of your class? Get down from there right now!"

"They left to go to wherever they were going. The assembly or whatever." Allie backed away as the stranger shoved his arms in her direction. "Who are you?" she demanded. "I don't go to strangers."

"I am the principal of this school and I am going to call your father, Young Lady. Get down here this instant before you hurt yourself!"

Allie cowered a little as she scrambled down to get away. "Ok, Mister, but don't yell at me! I hate when people yell." She glared up in his direction, feeling much shorter and vulnerable now.

Mr. Haskins asked her name, then remembered having spoken with Peter earlier about the behavioral challenges. It all made sense now. He allowed himself to soften a little but kept an even tone as he said, "I don't think your parents will be too happy about this, Allie. Come with me to the office… We're going to call them."

A mixture of relief and sadness tore through Allie's body. On the one hand, she'd finally get to leave this stupid place (right?). But had she ruined her chances of going to the zoo? And what about the surprise Neal had promised her? She still wanted to go home, but now she was a little scared.

-x-x-x-x-

The loud shrill of Peter's office phone broke his and Neal's concentration. "We needed a break anyway," Neal commented, checking his own cell phone and noticing 4 text messages from an unknown number. It looked like Natalie checking in on her sister and getting impatient about his lack of response. He quickly typed back to her: Allie is fine. Please tell me you acquired this phone through legal means...

"Peter Burke speaking… Yes, you can connect me." He put a hand over the receiver and mouthed to Neal: "Allie's school."

This couldn't be good. They hadn't even been at school a full three hours yet and Natalie was already texting him, Allie already getting a phone call home.

He kept eyes on Peter as his boss listened to the woman on the other end of the line, then said, "Yes, I'll be right there. Thank you."

"What is it?" Neal wanted to know.

"She's likely earned herself a spanking," Peter commented once he hung up the phone. "That little monkey skipped an assembly to climb on the teacher's cabinet and steal the clock."

Neal raised his eyebrows. "Something doesn't add up with that story… Maybe I should go with you… Just in case."

Peter agreed and they rushed to leave, interrupted by another field agent, Clinton Jones. "A bomb threat was called into the middle school on East 77th. They evacuated the students and we sent a team to investigate. I'll keep you updated as we progress."

"The school on East 77th?" Peter questioned, and he and Neal said at the same time: "That's Natalie's school!"

"The administration believes it's a false threat, and we've been assured that all of the students are okay. They're being held off campus until the bomb squad finishes the investigation," Jones continued. "I can have someone double check that Natalie is there?"

"Yes, thank you, Jones. Please keep me informed."

The two men waited for the elevator and Neal decided to send Natalie another quick message. Where are you? Are you okay?

He still hadn't heard back from his oldest when Peter pulled up to Allie's school a few minutes later. He hoped it was because she'd given the phone back to her friend, and retained confidence that Jones' team would ensure her safety. For now, he'd have to push the 12-year-old out of mind and focus only on his little monkey.

When they walked into the office, Allie shot up for Neal, tackling him in a hug. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she'd been crying all day, and she latched tightly onto her father, ready to go home and forget about this school thing. Neal patted her back, hoping she hadn't gotten into too much trouble. He had a soft spot for her and wasn't sure how long he would be able to resist scooping her up and walking out of the building.

Peter, however, was a little more firm and walked past Neal and Allie to the secretary, who called for the principal, and within minutes the three were seen. Allie clung a little tighter to Neal as they entered; she found the principal very intimidating and didn't want to be in the room with him. She reached up for her father who picked the monkey up into his arms and held onto her tightly as they sat in front of the large mahogany desk.

The principal began by reintroducing himself and shaking their hands. He then looked at Allie. "Care to explain why we're here?"

Allie frowned. "I wanna go home. People are mean here. I don't like it here."

Mr. Haskins sighed and looked back at Peter and Neal. "Allie decided to skip the assembly and I found her on top of the cabinet in her classroom, trying to take the clock."

"I wasn't stealing it!" Allie insisted angrily as that seemed to be what he was insinuating.

Peter interjected immediately. "How is it possible that the teacher didn't notice she'd left a student behind? What kind of school are you running here?"

Mr. Haskins answered Peter in a harsh tone and the two began arguing. Neal held onto Allie tighter, still unsure why his littlest girl was in trouble - had she really been trying to steal the clock? Why would she want something like that?

His mind traveled back to himself as a child, and how his mom was always dropping him off late to school. Eventually, he became so fed up that he changed all of the school's clocks to be 30 minutes later so that it looked like he'd arrived on time. It hadn't worked, but still. Was something similar going on with Allie?

Neal snapped out of his reverie when Peter stood suddenly. "Let's go," he grumbled, leading the group out of the office.

Peter was muttering obscenities to himself then looked at Allie. "What do you think you're doing, pushing other students, using bad language, hiding from the teacher, and trying to take the clock? You know better than that, Allison," he said, looking at her with disappointment.

"I wasn't trying to take the clock!" Allie insisted. "And that boy ruined my pictures! I worked hard on those!"

Peter heaved a sigh and continued walking to the car.

Suddenly, Natalie appeared. "Hey! What happened? Why isn't Allie in school? Did someone hurt you? Why are you crying?" She stooped to her sister's level and tackled her in a hug. Peter was about to say something but was cut short by his phone.

"Jones," he answered. "Did you get a trace on the number?"

Natalie was too busy coddling her little sister and listening to the story of what happened to pay attention to Peter.

"Yes, have them call it to see who answers. I'll hold," Peter stated.

The four of them stood there for a moment in silence. Allie was still crying a little and Natalie held her close, ignorant of who her foster dad was speaking with on the phone. Neal glanced between his girls and his boss, and Peter stood there waiting angrily and impatiently. He wanted to scold Natalie for leaving her classmates but also needed to know what was going on with the bomb threat, and whether or not he could send her back to school.

Then Natalie's butt started ringing.

"Why are your pants ringing? Are they magic pants?!" Allie asked with surprise.

Peter narrowed his eyes at the oldest girl and said, "Jones, I think we've found the culprit. I'll call you back." He folded his arms at Natalie.

She dug the phone out of her pocket and turned it off. "Someone is framing me!" she exclaimed but was at a loss for words and just held the phone, three sets of eyes boring into her. What could she say? What could she do?

Peter sighed. "Neal, will you please take Allie home. Tell El that I'll call her. Natalie and I are going to her school to catch the person who's trying to frame her."

"Sure thing boss," Neal said as he scooped Allie up. "Come on little monkey."

Allie snuggled into him easily, popping her thumb into her mouth and hoping she wasn't in too much trouble.

-x-x-x-x-

Elizabeth had warmed up leftovers and had the plates waiting for Neal and Allie when they arrived. "Yummm! Thanks, Lizbeth!" Allie shrieked, almost having forgotten how much trouble she was in. Both she and Neal dug in and when their tummies were sufficiently full, her father and foster mom sat the little girl in front of them to talk.

"Okay, Allie, what really happened? Did you really try to take the clock?" Neal wanted to know.

"No. I wasn't stealing it. I was gonna put it back," Allie insisted. "I wanted to come home. Natty said this morning if you make time go faster you can go home quicker. So I was trying to make it go faster."

Neal and Elizabeth looked at each other. "Oh, honey," El said, "I know you didn't like school, but you can't hide from the teacher and climb up on top of high things like that."

Nodding, her father agreed. "That's right, little monkey. Save the climbing for the playground."

"We didn't even go to the playground," Allie frowned. "I didn't even get to play much. I just wanted to come home. That lady was scary and the man was scary. That boy was super mean. I just wanted to be with Lizbeth and Satchmo."

"Speaking of that boy," Neal said, putting on a serious face that Allie didn't like. "What did I tell you this morning about saying 'hell' at school?"

Allie shrunk a little bit. "Not to say it. But Daddy he deserved that word! He's lucky I only shoved him!"

El looked on with shock. "Allie! I can't believe you'd use that kind of language, especially after being warned. I should wash your mouth out with soap."

Allie made a face. "I'm not letting you put soap in my mouth, Lizbeth! That's yucky! I'll bite whoever tries!"

"Then I better not hear that type of language from you ever again, because if I do, it'll be soap and a spanking, understood?" El didn't normally get strict with the girls, but kids using bad language was one of her pet peeves, and it was a bad habit of Allie's that she was determined to break.

Allie scowled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yes," she grumbled. "But you won't get the soap in."

Neal was more disappointed that Allie hadn't obeyed, and he was about to further scold her when he saw the message from Peter: This may take longer than planned. Proceed with the Robin Hoodie case without me.

He groaned. "I need to get going." He gathered Allie for a hug and whispered in her ear, "I have your surprise at home, and I'll bring it tomorrow if you can behave for Peter and El tonight, okay?"

"Okay Daddy," Allie nodded as she returned his hug. "I'll try."

El walked Neal to the door and lowered her voice so Allie couldn't hear them. "Did Peter say what he wants me to do about Allie?"

"He didn't," Neal answered quietly. "But I wouldn't make her wait. She would either stress over it or forget what she did wrong... either way, it seems better to go ahead and get it over with.

"That's what I was thinking," El agreed. "Usually Peter is the one to handle the consequences, but I think today it's going to have to be me." She thanked Neal and sent him off with lunch for Peter, then turned back to Allie. She knew just the way to get the little girl to comply: "I'm going to give you a choice... you can stay in your room all afternoon and wait for Peter to get home to talk about your punishment, or I can spank you now and get it over with."

"And then I can play with Satchmo?" Allie checked. She didn't want to sit in her room all afternoon and wait for Peter. He spanked too hard. Surely Elizabeth didn't spank as hard as him.

"Yes, then you can play with Satchmo," El said, smiling.

-x-x-x-x-

Elizabeth allowed Allie some alone time to think about what she'd done, then climbed the stairs slowly. Sitting down on Allie's bed, she pulled the six-year-old to sit in her lap. "I don't think you realize how serious what you did was."

"But I didn't steal the clock," Allie said firmly. Elizabeth was right though, as Allie didn't understand why it was so wrong. "And I thought not going to the zoo was my punishment? I know you guys won't take me now… even though I wanna go really bad."

"The deal is that you'll get to go to the zoo after you make it through a full week at school... so once you earn it, you can go. We are all proud of you for trying today... I know it was really hard for you! So if you're a big girl the rest of the week and keep going to school like you're supposed to, we'll keep up our end of the deal, which is taking you to the zoo, okay? Now let's talk about what you did wrong today." She held the girl in front of her so she could look in her eyes. "You're not in trouble for stealing," she said. "What did we talk about earlier?"

Allie thought a long moment. "About climbing and the boy ripping my pictures. And how the clown lady wasn't nice and stuck me in time out."

"Why did she put you in time out?"

"I pushed the boy who ripped my pictures," Allie answered. "But he deserved it!"

"Here is the first rule for you to remember, Allie. You are never, EVER, to push someone when there is a teacher around. If someone tears up your picture, what is something you can do instead of pushing him?"

Allie scrunched up her face. "Tell the teacher?" She had acted on instinct which was why the boy had been shoved.

"Exactly. Then you know who would be sitting in time out?"

"The meanie head boy who was a real jerk?" Allie replied.

"That's right! Remember that when you're at school, the teacher is the boss. So if someone is doing something wrong, she's the person you tell. And if you're not sure that what you're doing is okay, she's the person you ask. Do you get it?"

"I think so," Allie nodded. "Daddy said to ask grown-ups and not Natty about tricks and if they're funny. So it's the same thing, right?"

"Right. Now, what about climbing? What did you do wrong in that situation?"

Allie thought for a moment. "I wasn't supposed to climb the cabinet?"

"What about before that?"

"I shoulda went with the other kids?"

"And why's that?"

"So I don't get lost?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "The teacher is in charge which means she has to know where you are all the time so she can let us know if you get hurt or something bad happens. And if the rest of the class is going somewhere, it's probably somewhere you need to go, too, right? Like sometimes the class will be going to the playground, or to the gym or art even! Wouldn't you want to be there for that?"

"Yes," Allie agreed. "I want to be there for those! That's fun stuff!"

"See? School isn't all that bad." El brought her in for a hug as she made a mental note to smack Peter, Neal, and Natalie for brainwashing Allie into being afraid of school. But she'd have to tend to that later. For now, she needed to deal with Allie. "So let's try again - why are you getting a spanking?"

Allie made a face. "'Cause I pushed that boy an' climbed too high an' hid from the teacher."

"Once we get the spanking over with, it'll wipe your slate clean, and you still have the chance to go to the zoo, okay?" She put Allie on her feet, confident that the little girl wouldn't run away.

"You promise I still got a chance at the zoo?" Allie said softly, her eyes hopeful. "It's what I really, really, really want."

"Yes, sweetie. As long as you keep trying to go to school, you'll still get to go to the zoo. All we want is for you to keep trying, even though sometimes it's really hard, okay?"

"I'll try," Allie promised.

Elizabeth paused for a moment. "Are you ready to get this over with?"

The little girl hesitated. "I need a hug, Lizbeth..." She told her softly. "Spankings are scary."

Elizabeth opened her arms, inviting the small child in. "I know they are, sweetie."

Allie went to her with ease, snuggling in - she loved being cuddled. They stayed that way about five minutes before Allie looked up with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry Lizbeth..."

"Hey, you're human, you're going to make mistakes sometimes. The only reason I'm doing this is to make sure you know there are consequences, okay? We wouldn't want you to get hurt or in bigger trouble at school."

"Okay," Allie sighed softly. "I guess you can spank me..."

She helped the little girl up and over her lap, affording her some modesty before tugging her shorts and panties to her knees.

Allie squirmed a little when she felt her that her bum was already bare - she hated bare bottom spankings!

Resting her hand on Allie's backside, Elizabeth summarized their conversation. "Young Lady, we'll all talk together about the rules later, and then you'll not be able to use the excuse that you didn't know." She began the spanking with a hearty SWAT in the middle of her small bottom, continuing with a reasonably fast pace. Elizabeth didn't spank as hard as Neal or Peter but made up for it with endurance and her ability to better tolerate Allie's squirms and cries.

Allie yelped with each swat, crying almost immediately. "I'm sorry!" She had a habit of trying to tug at people's hearts, in hopes they would be nicer to her. Sometimes it was on purpose and sometimes she did it without knowing. This time it was a mixture of both.

"I know you are," Elizabeth said, continuing with the methodical spanks. "And I hope you'll remember this spanking next time you're thinking about breaking the rules." She peppered each cheek, her stingy hand turning Allie's bottom a bright shade of pink.

Allie kicked and squirmed more. "I wiiiill!" She had been hoping the spanking would only be a couple of swats but so far it was anything but.

Elizabeth tightened her grip on Allie as she began to increase the intensity of the spanking, smacking her jiggling bottom much harder now, almost as hard as Neal's spanking.

Allie sobbed as her little hand flew back. "No more Lizbeth! No more!"

Elizabeth stopped. "Allie, move your hand," she said firmly. She intended to hold her hand to help her not reach back, but first, she wanted to give the little girl a chance to prove she was learning to be more obedient.

"But it hurts," Allie wailed, keeping her hand where it was. "Please no more! I'm sorry!"

Elizabeth grabbed Allie's hand to move it away and continued spanking. "I need you to start following rules, Allie," El said, peppering each cheek, then moving to her sit spots, still spanking at Neal-force.

Allie tried to squirm but it was harder now that her hand had been captured. She cried more when her sit spots were smacked as those hurt the most. "There's too many rules!" she wailed.

"I know," El empathized, centering mostly on Allie's sit spots. As Allie's cries increased, so did her squirms, and El had to hold on tight to make sure she didn't squirm away. "This will hopefully help you remember them a little better, so you can work towards your reward of going to the zoo."

Allie's answered her with heartfelt sobs. She wanted to go to the zoo super bad but felt like at this rate it was never going to happen.

Elizabeth stopped spanking for a moment and rested a hand on Allie's warm bottom. "Remind me the lesson you're learning from this spanking?"

It took Allie a moment to respond as she had to catch her breath and wait for a couple hiccups to subside. "To listen at school an' n-not climb things..."

"And to do what if someone tears up your picture or does something mean to you?"

"Tell the teacher!" Allie replied through tears.

"Very good," she said and began the spanking once more. "I hope we don't have to repeat this lesson soon, Allie," she said, punctuating each word with a loud SWAT. "Because next time, I'll have to get my wooden spoon, which stings much more than this."

Allie wailed a little louder. Elizabeth's hand hurt more than enough and she was not eager to find out how the spoon felt any time soon. "Noooooo!"

Elizabeth focused on Allie's sit spots again to be sure that she would feel it as they sat for their family meeting later. It may help her to focus better on what is being said. "Are you going to give school another try tomorrow?" she asked, smacking at medium-force.

"Yesssss!" Allie cried feeling she had no choice. "I'll tryyyyyy!"

"Good," Elizabeth said, finishing the lecture and focusing only on making the last few swats count.

"I'm sorryyyyyyy!" Allie choked out.

Elizabeth lifted Allie from her lap, letting her PJ pants fall to the floor. The young girl latched tightly onto her, and El brought her to her chest, feeling the tears against her neck. She hated seeing her cry, so rocked her back and forth, humming her favorite lullaby.

Allie snuggled in easily and tried to calm down. She whimpered and sniffled as she hiccupped and held tight to her mother figure. "I love you, Lizbeth..." She managed to murmur. "Lots an' lots."

"I love you, too, Alliecat. And remember we're gonna help you get through this. That's what Peter, your dad, and I are here for. We'll be with you every step of the way."

She held her there rocking for a few more minutes and kissed her on the top of the head, stroking her sweaty hair. "C'mon, why don't you wash your face and then we can go play outside," she said with a big smile.

Allie nodded. "Okay," she agreed, giving El a kiss on the cheek and scampering to the bathroom, furiously rubbing her aching bum.

Once she had washed her face she returned to the room and tugged on Elizabeth's hand. "Come play Lizbeth. Satchmo and I want you to play too." Elizabeth gave a soft laugh as she allowed the little one to tug her downstairs and out to the backyard to play, admiring her ability to live in the moment. Maybe it had been a tough day at school, but everything was going to be okay.


	6. Allie & Natalie's First Day of School 2

Spanking series, co-written with LenniLuvsBrian, mostly M/f, mostly non-consensual

A/N: This is an AU in which Neal and Alex have two daughters. Background is explained throughout the story.

Series Summary: 12-year-old Natalie is an independent and rebellious pre-teen, who has been taking care of her little sister, Allie (age 6). When their mom is arrested, the girls run away to find their father, only to end up in the care of an FBI agent and his wife instead.

Chapter 6 Summary: Peter helps get Natalie out of trouble, but that doesn't mean she's off the hook for her misbehavior on the first day of school. And even though Allie's already been spanked, it seems she hasn't learned her lesson!

-x-x-x-x-

An excruciating silence filled Peter's car as he drove Natalie back to her school. Though she claimed to have been framed, he highly doubted it and was wondering how long it'd take his foster daughter to fess up. If she didn't, she would end up learning a hard lesson.

They were about to turn the corner near her school when Natalie finally mustered up the courage to ask, "What are you going to do at school?"

"We're going to find out who framed you," Peter replied. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this. A bomb threat is a very serious offense. "

Natalie squirmed in her seat, trying to think of a way to get out of trouble. Why hadn't she thrown out the phone while she had the chance? She could kick herself for being so stupid. "But if you figure out who it is you can't tell them that I snitched! Then everyone at my school will hate me!" She had hoped Carrie would end up taking the fall, that they'd trace the number and find out the owner, showing up at her house. Natalie hadn't expected the FBI to actually just call the phone… it seemed so basic.

"When it comes to something this serious we investigate fully until we find the culprit," Peter stated firmly. "Your reputation is the least of our worries right now."

She huffed, folding her arms and slouching in her seat. "What will happen to her?"

"People go to jail for this sort of thing," Peter replied eyeing her suspiciously. "And who said the caller was female?"

"Because she gave me her phone to text Neal," Natalie lied. "Remember?"

"It depends on her involvement in the whole ordeal," Peter replied. "I'm not accusing, but I hope it wasn't you."

Natalie felt her stomach churn. She didn't deny it, nor did she offer any statements, just sat there quietly until they pulled into a parking spot. As they stepped out of the car and headed towards the building, she became more and more nervous, mind racing. Natalie was sure Peter would find out, and then she'd be in really really big trouble. Especially since she lied about it... and it hadn't been that long since she got spanked for lying. It may be best to come clean...

"Peter," she said, stopping dead in her tracks as she saw FBI agents crawling through the school. "I need to tell you something..."

"I'm listening." He stopped and turned towards her hoping she wasn't going to tell him what he suspected.

Natalie looked at the ground and kicked a little rock. "Remember how you said if I tell you the truth then it won't be as bad for me?"

"I remember."

Another rock skipped down the sidewalk as Natty hesitated, not wanting to say this out loud. Stalling a little more, she sucked in a deep breath and looked back up at her foster dad with puppy eyes. "I had to figure out a way to go see Allie because Neal wasn't answering."

Peter nodded to show he was listening. "So what idea did you come up with?"

"Do I really hafta say it? I think you already know." Natalie looked down at the ground again in shame and grabbed Peter's hand to walk by his side.

"Ah, I see. So you called the threat in." Anger was evident in his voice, but he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Natalie did you not realize how this would end?" He shook his head. "You're too smart for your own good. I would have preferred you just snuck out and wandered off."

"I panicked and it was the first thing I could think of... and I wanted to get this girl in trouble because she was mean to me... and... I'm sorry." She leaned against him now, trying not to cry as they began walking again towards the office.

Peter let her hand go and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I thank you for telling me, but you are in some serious trouble, Young Lady."

She chewed on her lower lip. "Do we have to tell everyone? Can't I just ditch the phone and pretend like it never happened?"

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way " Peter replied. "I'm going to have to do a ton of fancy talking to keep you out of juvie."

She pouted but allowed him to lead her to the main office, meeting some of his agents on the way and calling off the search for the guilty party. When they arrived in front of the principal, Peter nudged Natalie to return the cell phone and admit her misdeeds. She didn't want to, still convinced she could get away with it if she just ditched the phone, but she felt safer with Peter there, like he'd make sure nothing too bad happened to her.

Peter stood by her side as she explained what happened and apologized a million times. "I won't do anything like this ever again," Natalie swore.

"I assure you the same," Peter stated firmly.

"Natalie, can you give your dad and me a minute?" the principal asked.

It was the first time anyone had ever called Peter her dad, and as she went to sit outside the office, she realized that he was definitely more of a father to her than Neal had ever been. It was weird to think about, but this month and a half since her mom was arrested, she already felt closer to Peter and Elizabeth than either of her parents.

"Mr. Burke," the principal began. "I understand that Natalie is a troubled young lady, but we cannot tolerate this type of behavior. At the very least she will likely be expelled from this school and sent to a suspension school, but what we really have to worry about is criminal charges against her."

"I wouldn't expect any less," Peter agreed. "But she's only twelve and could use a second chance. I'm not condoning what she did nor will I let it slide once we're home. But if you could help me in having charges dismissed, we would greatly appreciate it."

Natalie waited outside the office nervously, wondering what was taking them so long. She didn't realize that Peter was basically selling his soul to the devil - he'd promised the principal to allow a group of students to see the FBI headquarters on a field trip in exchange for siding with him that charges against Natalie be dropped. What was he getting himself into?

With all the drama behind, Peter drove his preteen home, leaving her in Elizabeth's care while he and Neal finished handling the rest of their work for the day. "I expect you to stay in your room, thinking about what you've done," he told Natalie. "We will discuss your punishment when I get home this evening."

While Natalie was confined to her room, Allie was outside playing. At times she could forget she'd been spanked, but then when her bottom touched the tire swing she was reminded of the pain from earlier. She would frown every time and rub her little rump to try and get the sting out of it again.

"Allie, it's time to go inside," Elizabeth called.

The six-year-old obeyed, knowing that Peter would be home soon - she'd better be on her best behavior if she wanted to avoid getting another spanking. Natalie heard her younger sister patter up the stairs and was relieved to finally have someone to talk to. She snuck out of her room and tapped on Allie's door.

"C'mon in!" the little girl chanted, looking up from her dolls. "Natty! Why didn't you come to play outside with me?"

"I got in trouble, and Peter's really mad at me," Natalie said, scrunching up her nose to try and not cry again.

"He was mad at me, too. But Daddy wasn't and Lizbeth neither, 'cept she spanked me." Allie rubbed her bottom, unsure if she felt the actual remnants of the spanking or just her memory of it. She glanced at her sister. "What didja do?"

Natalie shook her head. "Just something really really bad," she said. "Peter's gonna kill me. I'll bet he wasn't as mad at you as he is at me."

"Oh..." Allie responded quietly. "I hope he doesn't kill you. I need you."

They could hear Elizabeth greeting Peter and Neal downstairs and both of them glanced toward Allie's door nervously.

"Let's listen," Natalie whispered and slowly pushed open the door to hear what he had to say.

They could hear the adults discussing what had taken place and Peter expressing his anger and displeasure. Allie frowned as she kept snuggling Satchmo and her dolls. She was in no hurry to leave her comfy spot on the bed.

"And now Natalie's been kicked out of school... what are we going to do, El? I don't want her to go to a suspension school... she needs to be around good influences, not more hoodlums," Peter was saying. Natalie hadn't realized she was kicked out of school, and let a tear slip down as she peeked over at Allie.

Allie's frown deepened. "What's wrong Natty?" She wasn't used to seeing her sister cry and didn't like it.

"We'll find somewhere else," Elizabeth reasoned. "Maybe find some place that will take both girls."

Natalie didn't even hear her sister because she was too focused on the conversation between her foster parents. The tears were steadily streaming down her face now, so she burst through the door and downstairs. "I'm sorryyyy," she cried. "Please don't send me away..."

Neither Peter nor El had expected the preteen to emerge from her room so suddenly and so emotionally. They looked at each other and Elizabeth went over toward the girl, hugging her gently.

"We're not sending you anywhere, Sweetheart," Elizabeth soothed. "We're talking about schools, not sending you away. We want you here, isn't that right Peter?" She glanced up at her husband, just as Allie and Satchmo came to rest at the bottom of the steps.

Peter was still angry and stared at Natalie hard in the eyes. "We're not sending you away," he said firmly. "But we're not happy with the way either of you behaved today." He looked down at Allie now, towering over her. "Girls, come here, come sit," he asked, pointing at the sofa.

Allie shrunk and kept a hand on Satchmo, her equivalent to a security blanket. She quietly led the dog to the couch and sat down, Satchmo jumping up and resting his head in her lap. She pet him gently, glad he seemed to want to offer comfort.

Natalie plopped down next to her sister, sniffling and drying her eyes. They weren't going to send them away. She was safe... sorta.

Peter continued pacing in front of them and El leaned against the arm of the sofa. "Hon," she said, giving him a look to ask him to calm down.

This prompted him to stop moving and turn to Allie, making sure he didn't sound too angry or scary. "What did you learn today, young lady?"

Allie heaved a sigh. "Not to climb cabinets or hide from the teacher. And no more pushing meanie-head boys, or saying bad words." She had glanced at him occasionally but had mostly kept her eyes trained on Satchmo.

Peter nodded. "And if it happens again?"

"Lizbeth said she'd use her spoon," Alĺie replied making a face. "But it won't happen again 'cause I'm not going to school anymore."

Peter shook his head. "We'll discuss that tomorrow." Peter now turned towards the oldest, who had been sitting quietly and obediently the entire time. He knew that she felt bad for what she'd done, but he needed to hear all of the details, straight from her mouth. "Your turn," he said. "Spill it. Everything."

Natalie squirmed as the three sets of eyes stared at her. She hated being the center of attention like this... she much preferred to blend into the background, unnoticed. Gulping, she began her story, giving every exact detail, maybe exaggerating a bit the amount of bullying she endured. It wasn't because she wanted to lie, but rather a defense mechanism. She didn't know how to be 100% honest, so even when she was telling the truth, some parts were stretched. After admitting her wrongdoings, she followed up with: "But it's not fair, everyone has a phone and I don't. I'm the biggest loser."

"That doesn't mean you go and steal one," Peter said firmly. "Also I'm sure not everyone your age has a phone. And that is still no reason to call in a serious threat and try to frame someone else. People go to jail for that kind of stuff!" He was glad she had been honest with him, but at the same time, he was furious she'd been foolish enough to pull such a stunt. It was hard to imagine how he was going to deal with her for such a crime. The belt came to mind, but he also wondered if that may be too much. He would have to confer with his wife and see which method would be best to get through to the preteen.

"I'm sorry," Natalie said. "We're both just figuring this stuff out. We're not used to having someone actually care about us..." She snuggled up with her little sister and Satchmo, sniffling and letting a few tears fall.

Allie frowned as her sister started to cry again. "Quit making Natty cry, Peter! I don't like when she cries." She narrowed her eyes at the man, starting to get a little annoyed.

"It's okay, Allie," Natalie said softly. "I did something really terrible... I deserve it."

Elizabeth sat down next to the two girls, engulfing them both in a hug. "Girls, we really care about you both and just want the best for you. We don't want to be a pain, but we need to make sure you don't get hurt or in serious trouble."

Allie leaned into Elizabeth easily. She was growing pretty attached to the woman and enjoyed spending time with her. "How will we know if something will get us in trouble?"

"Well, in school, teachers will usually tell you the rules. How about this - after dinner, we'll all sit together and discuss the rules, and come up with questions you can ask yourself to figure out if something will get you in trouble.. what do you think?" she asked, looking at Peter who nodded.

Natalie allowed her tense body to relax for a moment as she felt the warmth of Elizabeth's hug. "I think it's a good idea," she muttered, looking up and wiping her eyes before snuggling closer to her sister and her foster mom.

"Okay," Allie agreed. "I'd like that... I don't know lots of things 'cause I'm just little."

"We'll help you learn," Elizabeth assured he little girl. "Now why don't you girls take Satchmo outside to play until dinner?"

Allie slid off the couch with the dog and hurried towards the back door. "C'mon Natty! Satchmo wants us both to play! He told me so!"

Natalie didn't feel much like playing but followed her sister outside anyway. She never felt so alone and confused as she had at that moment. "You can play with him," she said, sitting on the tire swing and watching the two of them running around happily.

Allie shrieked delightedly as she and the dog chased each other around the yard. It was hard for her to be sad when Satchmo wanted to play.

Peter watched them from inside, helping El with the food when she asked, but mostly just thinking about what they were going to do with the kids.

"Hon!" she said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "The butter, please?"

"Sorry."

"What are you thinking?" she asked, glancing out the window at Allie running and screaming, and smiled that at least someone was having fun. It'd been a rough day for everyone, it seemed.

"I know Natalie more than deserves to be spanked but I'm trying to figure out how bad it should be, and if I should use the belt," Peter replied. "I can tell she feels horrible already but I cannot let something like this slide. I basically had to sell my soul to the devil to keep her out of jail." He paused. "As for Allie... Does it make me a bad person that I still want to take her trip to the zoo away, even though she's already been spanked?"

"Of course it doesn't make you a bad person," El said, wrapping her arms around his waist and bringing him in for a kiss. "The girls are a handful, that's for sure. But they haven't been able to enjoy their childhood either - I think we should take her to the zoo, but with conditions. And I don't like to say it," she began, backing away to check on the food, "but I think Natalie's earned the belt this time. She has to learn that she can't break the law to get what she wants. The rules apply to her just like everyone else."

"I agree," Peter admitted. "I won't be able to pull strings every time to get her out of trouble." He gave his wife a small smile.

"Also, I think we need to find a charter school that will accept both girls and can handle their special circumstances."

Peter nodded. "It might be best if they can easily find each other if they need to."

"I'll talk to Paula about it tomorrow - her niece goes to a charter school," she said, checking on the garlic bread and looking up. "Hon, can you set the table? It's almost ready."

Peter passed out the plates and silverware, still deep in thought as Elizabeth finished up the meal and made drinks for everyone. "Girls! Come was up and eat!" she called.

Allie and Natalie came scurrying inside. "Smells yummy Lizbeth!" Allie chanted, tummy growling. Natalie's was, too, but she wasn't quite as eager as she was dreading her forthcoming punishment.

After all plates were filled with food, Peter cleared his throat and said, "girls, starting tonight, we're going to have family meetings over dinner each night."

"What's that?" Allie wanted to know, though she barely stopped eating to talk.

Natalie tried not to scrunch up her nose. "Doesn't sound like something fun."

"We will talk about our days and discuss any questions you may have about anything," Peter replied. "We want open communication."

El continued, "we're also going to make sure that you both know the rules, so Peter and I are going to do our best to remind you each morning what we expect from you."

"And as you girls know by now, there will be consequences when you break the rules. However, there will also be rewards when you do well," Peter continued.

"What kind of rewards?" Allie wanted to know. She loved presents! Natalie's ears perked up a bit as well.

"Well, Allie, like we talked about earlier, we know you want to go to the zoo," El began.

"And Natalie, we know you want a phone," Peter continued.

Natalie's eyes widened. "Really?! I could get a phone?!"

"If your behavior warrants it," Peter replied. "Which would involve staying out of trouble and attending school for at least a full week."

"Yeahh! Lizbeth told me already that we can go to the zoo!" Allie squealed. "I want to see all the animals super bad!"

"But you heard us what you have to do in order to earn the zoo trip," said El.

"I know, I know, if I go to school for a whole week," Allie said in a bored voice. She was tired of hearing about school!

"And stay out of trouble," Peter reminded. The parents smiled at each other, happy they were finally able to motivate good behavior. "Now about school. We'll be checking out a new place tomorrow, and pulling you both out of public school."

"Can't we just be good for a week without going to school?" Allie half pleaded. "I don't ever wanna go back to school..."

"I have the feeling you'll like this one," Peter said. "But I don't want to ruin any surprises before we know for sure. So you'll have to enjoy your day off tomorrow and trust us that your next school will be better than the first one."

"You said I was gonna like the last one too," Allie reminded him as she took a bite of her dinner. "I don't trust you. I trust Daddy and Lizbeth."

Peter looked hurt if only for a moment. "I'm sorry you feel that way," he replied. "But regardless you still have to go to school. You need an education and it's the law."

"Go to hell Peter!" Allie snapped as she shoved more food into her mouth. "You're being an ass." She wasn't sure what 'ass' meant but had heard her mother use it a time or two.

"Allie!" Elizabeth shrieked. "What did I say earlier about using bad words?"

Natalie silently ate her food watching the drama unfold before her eyes. She felt a little bad for Allie but was also happy that the attention wasn't focused on her calling in the bomb threat. Maybe even Peter wouldn't punish her because he'd be so busy with Allie?

Allie jumped slightly, startled by Elizabeth getting loud. "Not to," she answered softly. "I'm sorry..." She looked down at her plate quietly. Today was not a good day.

"I guess we know what's going to happen after dinner then," El said with a disappointed stare at Allie. There was an awkward blanket of tension for a moment as everyone sat there, only the soft clanging of fork meeting plate ringing through the air.

Peter was the first to speak again. "Does anyone have any questions about the rules?" he wanted to know.

Allie shook her head silently. She was too busy wondering if Elizabeth was really going to soap her mouth out and use the spoon. She figured it was best to keep quiet so she would stay out of trouble. A few stray tears leaked out and she rubbed at her eyes.

"Not right now," Natalie answered, feeling bad for her sister as she saw her starting to cry, but still preoccupied with thoughts of her own punishment. So she ate as slowly as possible, only finishing up when Peter was almost finished with dishes, then helped clean up while Allie threw the ball around with Satchmo, hoping Elizabeth had forgotten about her threat.

But she hadn't: "Allie, let's go take a bath and get ready for bed."

Allie frowned. "But I don't need a bath. I didn't roll in the dirt today."

"Remember the rules we talked about earlier? - you should take a bath every night before bed, unless it's a special situation, then I'll let you know. So, c'mon, Alliecat. Let's get your towel and pajamas. Which do you want to wear tonight? My Little Pony? Barney?"

Allie scowled but decided to be nice since Elizabeth had been good to her most of the day. "Barney! I haven't worn them in forever!"

They reached the bathroom and Elizabeth said, "go get your PJs, I'll run the water." She found the perfect temperature and left the bath water running, then poured in an extra cup of bubbles - Allie would appreciate it.

The little girl did as she was told, feeling a bit excited about playing in the bubbles. She grabbed her pajamas and hurried back to the bathroom. "Found them!" El helped Allie undress as the little girl looked in the tub, watching the bubbles rising up now, higher and higher, almost overflowing. "Wooooow! There's lots of bubbles tonight! My boats are gonna get lost in a storm! Awesome!"

As Allie slipped off the last of her clothing, she positioned herself to jump in, but Elizabeth caught her just in time to gently ease her in. "Please be more careful when getting into the tub, Alliecat," she said gently, handing Allie her boats.

"Okay," Allie agreed easily as she accepted her boats. She motored them around the tub splashing a little bit as she slid from one end to the other. "The water is high and the boats are lost! They need a hero to save them!" She grabbed up her yellow boat. "Here comes the lifeguards to the rescue!"

Elizabeth allowed her to play a little, then sat down on the stool at her side and said, "oh no! The hero has dirty hair! What are we gonna do?"

Allie giggled. "Wash it of course! It needs to be clean and shiny!"

"Maybe we can show the hero how it has to be done?" she asked, grabbing the shampoo and squirting the gooey green slime into her hand.

Allie nodded. "We can do that!" She slid closer to Elizabeth so that her hair could be washed, humming as she dipped her boat in and out of the bubbles.

Elizabeth lathered the shampoo into her hair, the scent of fresh apples drifting to their noses. It was the calmest and most content she'd seen Allie all day, and she was happy to share this special moment with her. She just loved the little girl to pieces! It pained her to think about having to discipline her again. In general, she half-agreed with Peter's strict rules and consequences... but the other half of her wanted to baby both of the girls and only give them love and attention. That's why she rarely spanked them. But tonight she was fed up with Allie's deliberate disobedience and disrespect. El didn't have to go hard on her, but she had to teach Allie that she would be punished if she broke a rule.

El rinsed out the last of the soap and said, "okay, all finished. Do you wanna play a little longer or are you ready to get out?"

"I'm getting wrinkly," Allie replied as she showed Elizabeth her hands. "And my boats don't wanna play no more. They're tired. They wanna snuggle and read stories. And they wanna call daddy to say goodnight."

Elizabeth grabbed a big towel and held it out for Allie to step into. "We'll call daddy in a little while, okay?"

"Kay," Allie agreed as she carefully climbed out of the tub and into the awaiting towel.

Elizabeth helped dry off the little monkey and put on her PJs, then sent her to her room, paying special attention that Allie didn't see her grab the little bar of soap and wet washcloth before following her.

The wooden spoon was awaiting on her bed when Allie arrived. She froze, wondering if there was someplace to hide it before Elizabeth came in. She grabbed it up and glanced around the room trying to think of where, but Elizabeth caught her in the act and swiped the spoon, planting a solid WHACK! on her pajama-clad backside. "Just what do you think you're doing?" she scolded.

Allie yelped loudly, her hands flying back to protect her already sore bottom. Her eyes filled with tears immediately. "I was gonna put it in a safer spot..."

"Uh huh," Elizabeth said doubtfully. She closed the door to Allie's room and sat the spoon and washcloth with soap on the nightstand. She pulled out the desk chair and sat, bringing Allie to sit in her lap. "We already talked once today about saying bad words, didn't we Alliecat?"

Allie nodded tearfully. "Uh-huh," she agreed. "We don't gotta talk no more Lizbeth...I promise I won't say them again..."

"It's too late for that now. What did I say would happen if you did it again?"

"That you would use your spoon," Allie whimpered as some tears leaked out. "But I don't want the spoon! My bum already hurts lots!"

"That I would use the spoon and what else would happen?"

Allie made a face. "You would put soap in my mouth..." She started to cry a little more. "I don't want soap in my mouth! It's yucky!"

"I know you don't want it, and I don't want to do it. But I told you it would happen if you said any more bad words, and you didn't even wait a whole day. I can't let misbehavior like that slide, Allie." She squeezed the girl tight to try and comfort her as much as possible.

Allie cried into her softly. "But my bum is sore enough Lizbeth! Please don't use the spoon!"

Elizabeth knew that Allie's bottom wasn't actually still hurting - she hadn't spanked that hard. But she wasn't sure if it was Allie's memory of the pain that was making her squirm in her seat, or if the little imp was trying to manipulate her. Either way, she knew what she had to do. "You will get 6 swats with the spoon this time, and then I will let you get a taste of what a mouth-washing feels like. I know it may not seem like it, but I'm going very easy on you - my mom used to stand me in the corner with the bar of soap in my mouth, which I won't do this time, but may happen if you keep saying bad words."

"But Lizbeth!" Allie protested tearfully. She didn't know what else to say and could tell her foster mother wasn't going to change her mind. She just sat there whimpering.

El didn't pressure the little girl, knowing that Allie would give in when ready. Instead, she just held onto her tightly, gently rocking her back and forth. When she noticed Allie's cries subsiding, she said, "After your spanking, we can call Daddy and watch cartoons until bedtime. So the sooner we get this over with, the more time you'll have for cartoons."

"Okay," Allie whimpered, her breathing shaky as she was nervous. She glanced up at Elizabeth somewhat ready but unwilling to move on her own.

Elizabeth helped Allie over her lap and reached for the wooden spoon. "What is this spanking for?" she asked, grabbing hold of Allie's hand so she wouldn't reach back.

"Using bad words," Allie answered tearfully. "I'm sorry ..."

"I know you are, sweetie," Elizabeth said, then landed a loud THWACK! with the wooden spoon on Allie's pajama-clad bottom.

Allie let out a loud shriek, her legs kicking wildly.

Elizabeth landed the second swat on Allie's right sit spot, then the third on her left, holding her tightly and reassuring: "Halfway finished."

Allie shrieked with each swat, sobbing hard as it hurt.

El let her settle down a little before picking the wooden spoon up again and bringing it down 3 times quick, and not quite as hard. Her heart hurt for the little girl and she couldn't stand to hear her cries anymore.

Allie wailed loudly as she lay there crying. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"I know sweetie," Elizabeth said softly. She rubbed her back in circles, letting her cry everything out. "The spanking is all over now, Alliecat."

Allie cried for a few minutes, letting El's voice and back rub soothe her until finally, she was just hiccupping, and eventually, no more tears fell. Elizabeth helped her up, knowing that the mouth soaping would be a struggle - she would try to make it as painless as possible, just bad enough to where Allie would understand future consequences. Grabbing the soap and washcloth, she instructed the little girl to open wide. But she clamped her mouth shut tight, shaking her head, then buried her face into Elizabeth.

"I can wait all night," El said patiently, "but until we get this over with, no cartoons, no phone calls." She gently lathered the soap into the washcloth, hoping for Allie's sake that accepted her consequences soon.

Allie waited stubbornly for a few more minutes then finally opened up for her foster mom. Elizabeth held onto her chin and shoved the washcloth inside, ignoring Allie's struggles as she scrubbed around, allowing the bitter taste to reach her taste buds. It was over in a matter of seconds, but in Allie's mind, it had been hours!

"All done," Elizabeth assured as she removed the soapy rag.

Allie buried her face into her once more as she wiped her tongue on her pajama shirt. "Yuck! That was disgusting!"

"No more bad words Allie, or you'll get more of the spoon and soap," Elizabeth told her firmly.

"I'm not gonna say them no more so I won't," Allie assured her.

Elizabeth rocked her a little longer then set her down. "Alright, go wash your face and we'll go downstairs to call Neal."

-x-x-x-x-

Natalie had finished cleaning up the kitchen, stalling so much that she'd even swept and mopped. When she finished, she was ordered upstairs to get ready for bed, and that's when she heard what was going on in Allie's room. She pressed her ear against the door and heard her the thunderous swats and Allie's loud cries. Elizabeth is spanking Allie again? Natalie said to herself, hoping that she'd also spank her instead of Peter. There's no way Elizabeth could spank as hard as Peter!

She ran her bath water and soaked in it for a little while, catching a glimpse of Allie's boats and snatching them up to play. She smiled remembering when they used to take baths together. They always played with boats and car and barbies! And splashed so much that she always had to mop the bathroom floor afterward to soak up all the water.

For old time's sake, she plunged the first boat under water, then pushed the lifeboat to save it. She was almost there when the door swung open and Allie rushed inside, sniffling.

"Hey!" she shrieked, embarrassed that her sister had come in at that exact time. "Close the door please," she said, covering herself and blushing profusely. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Allie sniffled. "Lizbeth spanks hard as daddy but not hard as Peter. " She glanced at her sister and smiled a little. "Is the lifeguard rescuing people? I made him the hero."

Natalie blushed. "Yeah, he is. I miss playing with you, Allie! Life feels so complicated now." She paused, then asked timidly, "can I see? How bad was it?"

"I miss playing with you too," Allie said softly, then nodded. She tugged her bottoms down so her sister could see. "See? It hurts lots but not like when Peter spanks."

Natalie shivered knowing that hers was gonna be much worse. "What did she say? Is she gonna spank me, too?"

"She said if I don't follow rules she's gonna use her spoon on me again! And the spoon hurts," Allie exclaimed, rubbing her bottom. "An' she said we could go call daddy so I can say goodnight and make sure he's bringin' my surprise tomorrow."

"Oh, okay," Natalie said and watched Allie rinse her mouth out about a million times.

Sensing that she was being watched, Allie blushed and said, "Soap tastes gross!"

Natalie didn't say anything, just stared at her sister.

"Well, have fun with the boats Natty!" she chirped and scurried out of the bathroom to go call her dad.

Natalie put the boats aside and finished bathing, then dried off and got ready for bed. She had been instructed by Peter to wait in her room after her bath, so she did just that, running the brush through her wet hair. Her heart was pounding against her chest. Would it be Peter or Elizabeth? How hard would it be?

After a few more moments there was a knock at the door. Someone had finally come up to deliver her punishment.

"C-come in," she stammered, knees pulled to her chest.

The door opened to reveal Peter who stood there with a stern expression on his face.

"H-hi Peter," Natalie said, slightly disappointed. She'd hoped to get off lightly... but it looked like she was in as much trouble as she'd suspected.

Peter came in and sat on her bed, moving her to stand before him. "Have you thought about what you did wrong today?" He hoped she had realized the seriousness of it all.

"Yes, sir," she said, knowing that Peter would be the type of guy who would go easier on her the more she submitted. She didn't make a habit of submitting to authority, but she knew, in this case, it would help her more than damage her pride. "I shouldn't have stolen the cell phone or called in the bomb threat. It was really stupid of me."

"I'm going to make sure that you don't ever pull a stunt like this again," Peter stated firmly as he tugged her pajama bottoms down. "You'll be getting a hand spanking and then twelve licks of the belt." He wanted her to know what to expect so that hopefully she wouldn't be too freaked out when he pulled his belt off.

She shivered and instantly began to plead, just like her sister would have. "Whaaaaat? Noooooo pleaseeeee, I promise I'll be good!"

"I'm afraid you won't be able to talk yourself out of this one young lady," Peter replied as he tugged her over his lap and pulled her panties down. "What you did was extremely serious." He landed a hearty smack to the center of her upturned backside, then landed a smack to each cheek.

"Owww, ouch!" Natalie yelped, kicking a little. He'd jerked her over his lap quicker than she'd expected. "Peter please noooo," she begged. It wasn't that the hand spanking was so bad, it was that she didn't want the belt.

"You're going to learn to think things through before acting on them," Peter lectured as he landed some more hearty smacks to her bottom. "Otherwise you'll find yourself over my lap quite often and I'm sure neither of us wants that."

Natalie squirmed more, whining loudly. "I won't do it againnn!"

"You had better not!" Peter said firmly. "Or the spanking will be much worse and I may not be able to talk people out of pressing charges." He gave her sit spots each a hearty smack.

"I just really wanna cell phoneeee," she cried, kicking slightly, her hand threatening to reach back as the pain was starting to become unbearable.

"Stealing someone else's phone is only going to earn you a spanking young lady," Peter snapped slightly. "I will never condone stealing. Also, it's up to Elizabeth and me to decide if you need a phone or not. Just because someone has something doesn't mean you need it too. If I have to talk to you about stealing again, I'll blister your backside with the hairbrush!"

"Owwwww!" Natalie yelped, not liking this one bit. The idea of a hairbrush spanking sounded awful - worse than the belt even!

Peter continued reigning down hard smacks to her backside turning it red rather quickly. He was still a little angry but trying to be sure he didn't take all his anger out on her.

Natalie was whining and squirming, but with each swat, she began to feel sorrier and sorrier, and eventually, real tears spilled from her eyes. "Please, Peter," she blubbered.

"Are you learning your lesson?" Peter asked as he turned her bottom a darker shade of red. He wanted her to feel this spanking for a long time.

"Yessirrrr," she howled.

Peter began to focus on her sit spots and upper thighs next, turning them a deep shade of red as well. He was spanking harder than usual to be sure and teach her a lesson. That meant Natalie was squirming more than usual and eventually had to stick her hand back to cover the swats. She was crying so hard she couldn't even speak anymore. Tears were streaming down her face... it hurt so much!

Peter moved her hand away and held it in his, then landed a quick flurry of swats. He stopped suddenly and she lay there limply, too emotional to beg him not to use the belt. All she could do was hope that he didn't go too hard on her.

"You have a choice: you can lie over my lap for the belt or you can lie on the bed over some pillows," he said, standing her up and sliding his thick leather belt through the loops of his pants.

Hearing the jingle of his buckle made her cry harder. "Over... y-your... lap," she stammered. She felt safer there for some reason.

Peter nodded and sat once more guiding her back over his lap. "Twelve licks and I hope I never have to do this again."

"Me too," she cried, holding onto her blanket with one hand and covering her face with the other.

Peter made sure she was secure then landed the first lick of the belt.

The leather bit into Natalie's bottom and she yelped, reaching back to rub her backside. Boy did that belt sting!

"I'll hold your hand so I don't hit it by mistake," he said and landed the next two lashes a little lower causing Natalie to cry out. She wiggled with each and tried counting down in an attempt to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In theory, that would help her be able to tolerate the pain a little better.

Peter landed the next two on her sit spots one just a little lower than the other, and Natalie kicked, sobbing loudly, wondering if the whole house could hear her! And if Allie was on the phone with Neal, he could also probably hear her, because this was the loudest she'd ever cried before, ever in her whole 12 years. "I'm s-sorry-y," she stammered.

"I know," Peter assured her as the next two hit her upper thighs. And those two hurt the most of all, but there was nothing Natalie could do besides lie there and take it.

The next three started from the top of her bottom and stopped just before her sit spots. He wasn't using full force as he didn't want to be brutal or spank out of anger. It wasn't necessary to go so hard on her - each slap made her jump and cry louder, tears spilling onto the floor. By this point, she'd lost count.

Peter made sure the last two were a little harder. One landed on her sit spot and the last her upper thighs. He then tossed the belt aside and began to rub her back after releasing her hand.

Natalie was so happy it was over. She didn't even bother pushing herself up yet, just buried her face into her blanket and kept crying, letting her emotions drain out. It'd been a long, disappointing day, but she at least knew now that she was going to be forgiven. Peter wasn't going to send her away, or abandon her.

Once her cries died down, Natalie allowed her foster dad to help her up. She sniffled and wiped her eyes as she gently eased her PJs back up and leaned into Peter for a hug.

He embraced her and kissed the side of her head. "I hope I never have to do that again."

"Me too," she said, rubbing her throbbing backside.

Peter gave her a small smile. "C'mon, let's have some more positive family time."

She wasn't sure what he meant by 'more positive family time,' but after the spanking she'd just gotten, she wasn't going to argue anything! So she just followed him downstairs where Allie was still on the phone with Neal.

"And you're definitely gonna bring the surprise tomorrow, Daddy?" Allie asked for the millionth time.

Neal knew that he was going to spoil her, but couldn't help it. "We'll see." He already had the magic set sitting on his table but hadn't been sure what to get Natalie. Though neither of them really earned it yet, he couldn't help but try and make up for lost time.

Allie sighed dramatically. "And you swear you're not angry with me? An' you love me lots an' lots?"

"Allie, it's time to get off the phone," Elizabeth called. "It's almost bedtime."

"Yes, I promise I'm not angry, and I love you lots and lots. I hear El saying you gotta go, so I'll see you tomorrow Alliecat."

When Allie hung up the phone, she yawned and got cozy on the couch between Satchmo and her big sister, not waiting for El and Peter to sit before saying, "we should watch a movie."

Her foster dad smiled and pulled Allie onto his lap, snuggling up. "Let's do it."

"I don't know who's more surprised about the late bedtime, the girls or me!" El said, kissing him and handing the remote to Natalie to find something for them to watch. They settled on the Smurfs and Allie barely made it through the first scene before dozing off. When she let out a sharp snore, Peter and Natalie locked eyes and the 12-year-old smiled. This is what a family is supposed to be like.


	7. Allie & Natalie Need Money

Spanking series, co-written with LenniLuvsBrian, mostly M/f, mostly non-consensual

A/N: This is an AU in which Neal and Alex have two daughters. Background is explained throughout the story.

Series Summary: 12-year-old Natalie is an independent and rebellious pre-teen, who has been taking care of her little sister, Allie (age 6). When their mom is arrested, the girls run away to find their father, only to end up in the care of an FBI agent and his wife instead.

Chapter 7 Summary: The girls decide that they need to earn extra money, and not exactly in a way that their foster parents or Neal would approve.

-x-x-x-x-

"Peter? What does Daddy like?" Allie asked one evening as she sat on the living room floor playing with Satchmo.

Her foster dad peered over his laptop at her. "Why do you want to know?"

"I wanna get him a present. He brings me presents and I wanna bring him one, too."

Peter smiled. "That's good logic, but we could never afford what Neal likes," he responded, going back to his work.

"We can't?" Allie questioned. "Why not?"

"Neal likes expensive things… He has very fine taste." He paused realizing the six-year-old probably didn't understand him. "But, you know, if you want to get him a gift we can try and find something small."

Allie frowned. Something small wouldn't do if her daddy wouldn't like it; she'd prefer to get him something he'd like a lot! But if Peter didn't have enough money, how would she ever have enough? Maybe Natty could help her out... Her big sister always knew the answers!

As if on cue, Natalie swung the front door open and shrieked, "I need new art supplies!" Elizabeth was trailing behind with Chinese take-out, a look on her face as if warning the others of the preteen's near-meltdown. "Everyone has a cool set except me... it's not fair!"

Peter cleared his throat and set aside the laptop - there was no use trying to get anything accomplished in this house. It would have to wait until tomorrow. "Well, hello to you, too," he said, then met his wife at the door with a kiss.

"I told Natty that she can help Mrs. Weatherby clean out her basement," El said. "I'm sure she'd pay enough to afford the nice set."

Natalie scrunched up her nose in disgust. The last thing she wanted to do was clean out some old lady's basement! Manual labor was not her thing; she preferred to use her creativity to trick people into giving her money. It was so much easier!

"We can't afford everything you girls want… money doesn't grow on trees, ya know," Peter said. "If you want new art supplies, you'll have to earn it the old fashioned way: working for it."

Natalie groaned as Allie piped, "I wanna make money, too! I can walk Satchmo!" If her sister could make money, why couldn't she? She needed money to buy her daddy a present!

Peter hesitated, but El interjected before he could speak, "Peter and I will discuss what chores you can do to earn an allowance."

"Just not too many," Allie insisted innocently, "I need to play, too."

-x-x-x-x-

In theory, having the girls earn money by doing work around the house was a great idea. The reality, though, was that Peter and El were kind of cheap, which meant it would take *forever* to earn enough for an art set or a present for Neal, and neither Natalie nor Allie was particularly patient. They even decided to go together to help the neighbor, Mrs. Weatherby, clean up her creepy basement, but the mixture of mold and dust made the air nearly unbreathable, and they ended up bailing on the job after a mere fifteen minutes.

Both girls spent the next couple of days racking their brains to think of new ways to earn the cash. Natalie's brilliant idea came while she was on the subway with Neal, heading home from art class. As usual, they weren't talking to each other, and Natalie still didn't have a cell phone with music on it, so she was stuck people-watching.

Basically, everyone spent the commute staring down at their electronic devices (including Neal), only looking up occasionally to check their location. It wasn't until a trio of Mexican men with instruments came inside the cart that people finally pried their eyes away long enough to smile and put dollar bills in the cowboy hat one of them passed around. Then a few minutes later, a homeless woman strolled down the aisle with a little boy, asking for spare change. Again, people dug into their pockets to toss coins into her cup.

Natalie was amazed - how was this any different than her usual ways to get money? And these people did it right here on the subway, in plain sight, right in front of Neal, and he even gave them money! So that meant it was a totally legal and legit way for her to earn money, right?

That night she begged and pleaded with her foster parents to let her ride the subway to and from art class on her own, and she didn't give up until they finally agreed. So the next day Natalie snagged a ukulele from the music room at her school (they wouldn't miss it), and carried it with her on the subway, eventually mustering up the courage to strum a few songs she'd learned from one of her mom's friends a few months ago. It made her feel weird, playing his songs like her mom was still there with her. Alex would be super proud of my smart idea to earn money without getting in trouble by the fed, Natalie thought. Does she even know where I am? I haven't spoken to her in ages. She might as well be dead.

All of this was on Natalie's mind and she didn't even realize that tears were streaming down her face. The emotional intensity made some passengers uncomfortable enough to shove a $5 or $10 bill into the hat she held out after finishing. It was a super successful adventure, and by the time she got back home, she'd earned almost enough to get her art set!

Allie, on the other hand, had been unsuccessful in brainstorming new money-making ideas and had resorted to what worked in the past - playing "find the wallet." Each afternoon she went to the park with Neal, paying close attention to her surroundings as she snuck wallets out of the grown-ups' pockets, grabbing whatever bill was easiest, then stuffing the wallet back where it belonged. Nearly a week had passed when she was almost caught.

Like always, Allie scanned the area to make sure no one was watching before easing the wallet out of a man's jacket pocket. But an uncomfortable feeling washed over her when she had the wallet in her hands, and she peeked up to notice her father watching. With an innocent look, she casually snuck the wallet back and scampered to her father who'd just beckoned her over.

"What were you doing?" Neal demanded as he crouched down to her level.

"He dropped his wallet and I was putting it back for him," Allie lied easily.

Neal narrowed his eyes a little. "You weren't taking his money were you?"

Allie shook her head. "No Daddy. I was helping him."

"Let's see your pockets," Neal ordered, unsure of trusting the little one before him.

Allie emptied her pockets, a ball falling from one. "See Daddy? I only got my bouncy ball."

Neal nodded. "I see. Why didn't you just tell the man he dropped his wallet?"

"You can do that?" Allie asked as she retrieved her ball.

Neal couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, you can do that. If you don't, he'll think you stole something."

"Oh, okay!" Allie chirped before hurrying off to run around some more.

She didn't play "find the wallet" the rest of the afternoon, instead busying herself with the monkey bars and jungle gym. She was happy she'd hidden the money in her panties where no one would find it, but she did feel a little funny about lying. When she got home later that day, after hiding her stash, she barged into her sister's room. "Natty, I need to make more money! Can you help me? Please?"

Natalie had been counting her own money, and defensively tried to hide it all. Admittedly, she was glad it was just her sister. "Why do you need money?" She eased some of the bills under her leg so Allie wouldn't see how much she had.

"I wanna buy Daddy a present and Peter said we can't afford what Daddy likes," Allie replied. "If I make more money maybe I can afford a present."

"Why would you want to get him a present?" she asked, unaware of the cold hatred in her tone. Natalie still wasn't able to forgive her father for leaving, so she couldn't possibly think of any reason someone would want to give him a present.

Allie shrunk a little. "He's always bringing me presents and I wanna surprise him." It was hard for Allie to understand why Natty didn't like their daddy, but she didn't realize how much more attention she got than her big sister.

"Can't you just make him a picture?"

"No," Allie answered. "I did that already. I want something special."

Natalie pondered whether or not it'd be worth it to take her sister along for a subway ride to make money. An uneasy feeling crept into her stomach telling her it was a bad idea, but she wondered how much more money she'd make with her kid sis along. After all, people loved little kids much more than bigger kids... that's why Allie got so many presents. But then Natty would have to share her profits... but then it was her idea, and she was the boss, so it's not like Allie would know how much money she should be making anyway.

"I have a new game we can play, but it's risky."

"I like games!" Allie insisted. "I like adventures! Long as it's not scary..."

"I mean, it's kind of a game, but you could get in trouble if Peter or El or Neal find out." Then, peering around the room to make sure no one was listening, she leaned in and whispered the money making scheme to her sister.

Allie was excited about the adventure and it sounded a lot easier to do than find the wallet. "I'm in!"

"But you have to promise you won't tell anyone," Natalie said, holding out her pinky finger.

Allie hooked her pinky with her sister's. "I can keep a secret!"

Little did Natalie know, Allie already had a big one.

-x-x-x-x-

The next few afternoons, the girls snuck out with the excuse that they were going to the park around the corner, but in reality, they were on the subways, strumming the ukulele, tapping the tambourine, singing, and crying. They could both win an award for their theatrics! They brought home so much money Natalie knew she'd be able to afford anything she wanted before too long.

Allie had fun on the subway with her sister but was still feeling bad about lying to Neal. Her tummy was bothering her and she couldn't make the feeling go away. She tried everything from snuggling with Elizabeth and Satchmo to avoiding her father as much as possible.

One evening when her father came to visit, she spent most of the time lying on her bed curled up in a ball and hugging her stuffed dog, trying not to cry. It made everyone suspicious that Allie wasn't all over Neal like normal, but most of them brushed it off as her being sick to her stomach - Elizabeth even gave her medicine. It was Natalie who didn't buy it.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, not harshly, but with a firm voice. Natalie had a hunch that she knew exactly what was wrong with her sister. Even without the details, she could suspect it had something to do with guilty feelings.

"Nothing," Allie answered softly. "Go away Natty. I don't wanna talk." She had hoped no one other than Satchmo would bother her.

But Natty didn't go away, instead closing the door and plopping down on the bed next to the six-year-old. "What'd you do? You're acting weird."

"I didn't do anything," Allie whimpered. "My tummy just don't feel well." She was close to cracking but was trying so hard not to.

Natalie kept staring at her sister, so much that Allie covered her face so she wouldn't have to deal with Natalie's fierce blue eyes. "Allie, c'mon, stop hiding and just tell me. I won't tell anyone."

"I can't," Allie replied softly, her voice a little shaky. "I can't tell anybody..."

"Why not?"

"'Cause Daddy will find out and be mad at me," Allie sniffled as her tears started to fall.

"What did you do?!" She pulled Allie's hands away from her face and stared at her again. "Tell me."

"I… I..." Allie tried but she choked on a sob. "Daddy saw me… saw me playing… find the wallet… and I told him I wasn't and he… he believed me 'cause my pockets were empty..." She cried more as she continued. "But the money wasn't in my pockets… and now my tummy hurts and I can't get it to feel better..."

Natalie softened and patted her sister on the back. "Hey, okay... I get it... relax." She was usually pretty good at calming Allie down but had started feeling butterflies in her own tummy thinking about what would happen when Allie came clean about the stealing. She'd definitely crack and tell how they'd been earning money lately, which means then they'd both be in trouble. That meant Natalie had to think of a plan to keep her own butt out of trouble!

A scratching at the door jolted Natalie out of her thoughts and she went to let Satchmo in, then snuggled with both he and Allie as the little girl sobbed. "I didn't wanna lie... but I didn't want him to be mad at me... I just wanted to buy him a present! And now my tummy hurts..."

"Your tummy hurts 'cause you feel guilty," Natalie explained. "You just gotta find something to make you feel... not-guilty."

"But how? Snuggling doesn't work! And I tried not going near Daddy and that's not working!" Allie cried. "My tummy's hurt for a long time Natty! I miss snuggling with Daddy!"

"You probably have to tell him what you did," Natalie said, reciting what Peter would want her to say. "Or you can keep trying to ignore the bad feelings, but they'll never go away."

"But I'll get a spanking if I tell Daddy!" Allie wailed. "'Member he said if we lied and stole again it would be worse! I don't wanna find out what worse is! It hurt enough last time! And he would find out about the surprise!"

"So take the surprise to him and then tell him after. Maybe the surprise would make him too happy to spank you," Natty mused.

Allie whimpered then said, "I didn't get the surprise yet 'cause I dunno if I got enough money. I can't count so high."

Natalie sighed and asked her little sister to bring what was she'd stashed away, and Allie obeyed, retrieving it from a box underneath her bed. She dumped the contents onto the bed and Natty sifted through, counting out the bills, which totaled almost $200. Wow! That was kind of impressive, especially since Natalie hadn't exactly been fair when distributing their subway money. "You probably have enough to buy something nice for him. What do you want to get?" she asked, but Allie shrugged. Natalie already had an idea though: "How about... you give me your money, and I'll put it with my money to buy Neal... Dad... a cool present when I get my new art stuff tomorrow. Then we can stop playing the subway game, and you never steal again and never lie to him again and then it's a win, win."

"Okay," Allie agreed easily. "And my tummy will feel better?" That's what she wanted most after surprising Neal.

Natalie didn't answer, just gathered the cash. "It's probably best to just go to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

The little girl nodded, happy that her big sister was helping her take care of this. Then she changed into her pajamas and went downstairs to say goodnight to everyone, including Neal. "Night Daddy...I love you."

He carried the six-year-old to bed and tucked her in with a kiss on the forehead. "Night monkey," he said with a smile.

Allie snuggled up with Satchmo and kept trying to ignore the bad feeling in her tummy. She really hoped her sister was able to get a good gift for their daddy as she had risked a lot for this!

-x-x-x-x-

The next day, Allie didn't feel any better. The grown-ups were getting a bit concerned and wondered if they should take her to the doctor, but instead allowed her to stay home from school at Neal's house with Mozzie, the unofficial babysitter on short notice.

Natalie was starting to get a tummy ache herself, but had a little more practice with avoiding guilty feelings. She was able to ignore the rumbling almost all morning, but around lunchtime started worrying about her kid sis. She was glad the people in her school's office were nice enough to let her call Mozzie and check on Allie.

"How ya feeling?" she asked after begging her father's best friend to pass the phone to Allie.

"My tummy is still unhappy Natty," Allie whined tearfully. "It's making me want to be sick..." She was so stressed out she wasn't sure if her stomach was going to settle or cause her to throw up.

Natalie tried to help her sister forget about the guilty feelings, but there wasn't enough time - she was rushed off the phone by the secretary, so had to cut the conversation short.

Mozzie was starting to get suspicious, and when Allie handed him the phone, he began to question her. "What did middle suit want? What's she worried about?"

"She wanted to know how my tummy was," Allie answered as she headed back for the couch and her cartoons.

"There's something you're not telling me, baby suit," Mozzie said, sitting next to her. "Are you faking sick?"

"No, my tummy really hurts," Allie answered softly. "It's hurt for a long time." She stared down at her lap.

"Did you eat something you weren't supposed to?"

"No..." Allie trailed off. "If it were that Lizbeth could make it better."

Mozzie sat facing the girl and looking her in the eyes. "So what did you do?"

"I can't tell you..." Allie replied softly, her eyes filling with tears. "I told Natty and don't feel better and if I told you then you'd just tell Daddy and if you tell Daddy he'll be mad at me..."

"I think I'll tell him anyway. If you don't tell me you have to tell someone."

"But I already told Natty!" Allie replied feeling angry. "I can't tell anyone else... Daddy can't know that I lied..."

"Lied about what?" He already had his phone out, ready to make the call.

Allie looked startled at first but then she realized she had slipped, and then it was like the floodgates opened and everything came pouring out... playing find the wallet, her father catching her, lying to him... everything except the game they played on the train.

"You're right, we do have to tell Neal," he said. "That's why you don't feel better... you haven't told him yet." Mozzie wasn't that great with little kids but knew she needed a hug, so gave an awkward squeeze and said, "There, there. It'll be okay."

Allie leaned into him. "But he's gonna be mad at me!" she wailed as more tears fell.

"Maybe, but he'll get over it." As he held the small child, Mozzie typed out a text message to his pal: Monkey needs you, come home asap. Don't tell the suit.

It didn't take longer than ten minutes for Neal push the front door open and ask, "What couldn't wait until this evening?"

Mozzie nodded down to the little girl crying in his lap. "I found out what's wrong with someone's stomach."

Allie buried herself into Mozzie, not wanting to face her father. She did want her tummy to feel better, but she didn't trust that telling him would actually help. So far telling people hadn't helped at all.

Mozzie passed the little girl to her father, a bit uncomfortable with the attachment, then whispered to Neal what she'd told him. "I'll let you two work it out," he finished, exiting the apartment without indication of whether or not he'd return.

Neal sat down on a dining room chair with Allie in his lap. "Is it true what Mozzie said, monkey?"

Allie squirmed wanting to get away but at the same time wanting to snuggle in. She finally settled for leaning against him a little as she nodded while wiping some tears away.

"Why did you lie to me, Allie?"

"I didn't want you to be mad at me..." Allie sniffled. "And I didn't wanna tell you why I was getting the money..."

"Well, now you have to tell me," Neal explained. "How much did you steal?"

"Natty said I had almost $200... but I didn't steal all of it. Just a bunch of it..." She rubbed her eyes a little.

Neal cocked an eyebrow. "Natty knew about this and didn't say anything? And if you didn't steal it all, where'd you get the rest?"

"I can't tell you," Allie sighed heavily. "It's a secret... I pinky swore."

He wasn't sure he wanted to know anyway, so dropped the subject.

"I'm sorry..." Allie told him softly as she leaned into him a little more.

"I know," he said solemnly. Neal felt bad that Allie didn't trust him enough to be honest, that he had to find out from Mozzie. And what if Moz hadn't said anything? How long would this have gone on? And where was she getting the rest of the money? He had a feeling it wasn't exactly through legal means, especially if she had almost $200.

"I didn't wanna lie, but I didn't want you to be mad at me..." Allie added. "My bum likes being able to sit..."

"But sounds like now your tummy hurts instead."

Allie nodded. "Natty and Mozzie said if I told you that I would feel better... but it still feels bad Daddy..."

"Why do you think that is?"

Allie frowned. "They said something about feeling guilty but I don't know what that means. I never felt like this after playing find the wallet before..."

"Feeling guilty means that you feel bad because you know you did something wrong. Usually, the bad feelings will go away once you've paid the consequences and you know nobody's mad at you anymore." He paused to look into her eyes. "Do you understand?"

"So I gotta get in trouble to feel better?" Allie double-checked, not liking the sound of this.

"Usually, yes," Neal said, though he must admit, he felt relieved to know she was able to feel guilty - it was something that had been a challenge for both he and apparently Natalie, too. At least Allie would be able to learn how to make better decisions in the future.

"But you said if we did it again the spanking would be worse than last time!" Allie wailed. "And last time hurt plenty!"

"Guess you have a tough choice then - either keep feeling sick to your stomach or accept the consequences for what you did."

Allie started to cry a little. "But I don't want my tummy to hurt anymore!"

Neal started feeling the emotions getting to him, too, and wished there was something more he could do for her. But she was just now learning the rules and if he didn't follow through with the consequences, she'd learn that sometimes you can bury that guilty feeling so deep that it takes years to resurface if it even does at all. He wished Peter could just take care of this, but knew that it was time for him to be a responsible father. The only way to do that was to do what neither of them wanted.

"So that means you've got a good spanking coming, little monkey," he said gently.

"You promise my tummy will feel better?" Allie whimpered holding her pinky up. "Pinky swear and all?" She didn't want a spanking but she wanted more than anything for her tummy to stop hurting. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Allie replied without any hesitation. She trusted him as much as she trusted her sister.

"Then you have to trust that I'm right that the bad feeling in your tummy will go away once you've paid the consequences. C'mon, Alliecat, let's get this over with. I don't wanna do it any more than you."

Allie took a shaky breath as she slid from his lap so she could stand. He eased her over his knee, rubbing her back a bit to help calm her trembling body. "Allie, you know that you're not supposed to play 'find the wallet' anymore. I'd like for you to tell me now what was so important that you couldn't ask me or Peter for the money, but instead decided to take it from strangers."

"I wanted to buy you a present," Allie whimpered. "But Peter said we can't afford what you like so I decided to get the money myself."

Neal felt a pang in his chest. "Oh Allie," he said, wanting to lift her back up. "You don't have to worry about getting me anything expensive at all. The best present I've ever gotten was the day that you came back into my life. Don't ever forget that, Alliecat."

"I won't," Allie sniffled, as she squirmed a little. She had just wanted to surprise him like he always surprised her. She loved presents!

Neal cleared his throat and straightened in his chair, bracing himself for administering the punishment. He wasn't much on scolding, but felt it necessary to remind her: "Allie, no more stealing, for any reason."

"I won't, Daddy," Allie answered softly.

He tugged down her shorts and panties, circling an arm around her waist. "Do you want me to hold your hand?"

Allie nodded, reaching her hand back. She was nervous and hoped he was right about her tummy feeling better after this; if it wasn't she was going to be pretty upset with him.

Neal grabbed her little hand and landed the first flurry of mild swats to her backside. Allie yelped with each one, crying almost immediately as she felt so bad.

"I love you, monkey, and I want you to trust that you can tell me anything, no matter what," he said, alternating between her bottom and sit spots to ensure the lesson would be effective. "If I've caught you doing something you're not supposed to, it's better to be honest and accept the consequences, because what happens otherwise?"

"My tummy will hurt!" Allie answered through tears. "I'm sorry!" She wished she had told him, but she had been so sure everything would be okay if she lied just once more.

"That's right - you'll feel guilty, and you'll make me and Peter and Lizbeth very unhappy." He stopped spanking for a moment and said, "What did I tell you last time would happen if you lied again?"

"That this time would be worse," Allie wailed, squirming a little. "I don't want it to be worse!"

"I'm sorry, Allie, but you were warned." Neal lifted his daughter up from his lap, shorts and panties still bunched at her knees. He didn't mind when she began rubbing her bottom furiously and took her distraction as an opportunity to fetch his wooden ruler. Then he sat back down and took her hands in his, looking her in the eyes. "Allie, this spanking is going to hurt a lot, but when it's over you won't have to feel guilty anymore."

"But I don't want it to hurt lots," Allie whimpered as she rubbed her bottom. "It hurts lots now..."

"You just have to learn your lesson and remember how much this hurts the next time you feel tempted to steal something or lie to me - because believe me, you'll be tempted a lot."

She hiccupped. "I won't steal again Daddy. It makes my tummy feel icky."

"I hope not," he said, helping her back over his lap.

Allie tensed up, unsure of what to expect when her father re-positioned her. But then she felt the cool wooden ruler resting against her warm bottom and shivered slightly, whimpering, "I won't lie to you again, Daddy! I'll be super, super good! I swear!"

"I know you will, monkey," Neal replied, holding her hand away and lifting the ruler, landing it with a loud SMACK right in the middle of her bottom.

Allie screeched, her legs kicking wildly. "OWWWWWW!"

The next swat landed directly below, and then a third on her sit spots. Neal held onto her tight to make sure she didn't squirm away.

"No mooooore!" Allie pleaded.

He gave her a few more light, fast swats with the ruler, covering her entire bottom and sit spots, even the occasional TWACK to the thighs. Peter would've probably been a little tougher on Allie, but as the little girl lay there sobbing, he could tell that she'd learned her lesson. Pausing the spanking for a moment, Neal asked, "Where is the money, anyway?"

"Natty's got it," Allie sobbed.

"And where did you get the rest of the $200?"

"We played music on the subway!"

His heart skipped a beat as he imagined the two children on the subway by themselves, begging for money. He'd waited too long to ask for details, and had the feeling someone else was behind this, so decided not to interrogate her. "You really have to start getting permission from an adult before going along with one of Natty's schemes," he scolded lightly. "Six more, Allie, then I'll be all finished. But these are going to hurt much more than the others."

"Nooooo!" Allie wailed and started squirming again. "I'm already sorry!"

"I'm sorry, too. Hopefully, this won't happen again anytime soon." He tightened his grip, throwing a leg over hers to make sure she didn't squirm too much. There was no need to make this last any longer than necessary, so he gave her two hard smacks, directly in the center of her small bottom, then gave her a second to regain her breath.

The little girl shrieked loudly, and her crying increased tenfold. "Noooo! I'm sorry Daddy! I'm sorry!"

"Almost finished," he promised, and landed two more solid, stinging swats to her sit spots, then finished off with a couple of light ones. He dropped the ruler on the ground and scooped his monkey up, squeezing her tight.

Allie buried herself into her dad, body shaking with her sobs. "I'm sorryyyyy! I'm sorryyyy!"

Neal rocked her, rubbing her back gently. Now he felt an uneasy feeling in his own stomach - had such a severe spanking really been necessary?

But his concern faded when Allie's cries died down, and she exclaimed tearfully in surprise, "My tummy doesn't hurt anymore!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Neal replied, smiling and kissing the top of her head. Glancing at his watch he noticed that it was later than expected - he'd hoped to catch Natalie before she spent the money, but she'd been out of school an hour already, so it may be too late. He really wanted to figure out a way to get the stolen money back to the rightful owners... and the subway money... well, at least they'd earned it.

-x-x-x-x-

Peter circled the playground looking for his oldest child - that's where she'd told him she would be after school. From the beginning, he'd felt that something was off... Natalie rarely went to the park unless Allie was with her, so when Neal called, Peter wasn't surprised to hear what the two troublemakers had been up to. What am I going to do with these girls? he wondered, heading towards the train station as he brainstormed where she might be.

Natalie, of course, was already rushing up the subway stairs towards her house, moving as fast as possible because of the anxious butterflies in her tummy. She had successfully bought the art supplies but now had to make it home before getting caught. She was certain that Allie had cracked by now and given away their secret, and Peter was probably minutes away from figuring out that she wasn't actually at the playground. "Get outta my way!" she shouted to a slow old lady, only to squeeze in front of her at the top of the staircase and plow into a tall, muscular body.

"And just where have you been?" the man bellowed. It was Peter.

"I, uh, got out of school late," Natalie stammered. "I was working on an art project."

"Really? Because I've heard a different story," Peter replied. "And didn't you say you'd be at the park after school?"

"I know but I got held up and since I don't have a phone yet I couldn't call to tell you..."

Peter shook his head, nostrils flaring in anger. "Now is not the time to mention a phone or lie to me." He took her by the upper arm and said firmly, "Let's go."

The preteen didn't quite feel defeated yet, staying hopeful that there was no real evidence against her, and walked confidently with her foster dad towards their townhouse. No one was home when they arrived so Natalie took the opportunity to try and escape to her room. "I have a lotta homework..." she said.

Peter pointed to the couch. "Sit."

"But I didn't do anything wrong," Natalie whined, obeying anyway.

Peter paced in front of her, trying to find the words to elicit a confession. He knew Natalie well enough to guess that asking her wouldn't provide him with the truth, so instead, he opted for a statement: "So all those times you and Allie were supposedly at the park, you were really panhandling on the subway."

"Not all of the times," Natalie said. The look on Peter's face told her that she'd let too much slip. "I mean, do you have any proof? I know how this police thing works: innocent until proven guilty!"

"You're not in a court of law, and as far as I'm concerned, you've just confirmed my suspicions." Peter paused. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

Natalie chewed on her lower lip - how was she going to get out of this one? "Okay so maybe we made some extra cash but it was only 'cause I needed the new art set and I didn't do anything bad... you said I could get a job so I did!"

"I said you could do jobs around the house or for the neighbors!" Peter nearly shouted. "And what about lying to us and taking your sister on the subway alone!?"

Natalie sank down in her seat, not liking his tone at all. "Sorry," she muttered.

"And just how do I know you weren't out there pickpocketing too?" Peter demanded.

Natalie's mouth dropped, offended. "Because I don't do that anymore! Allie's the one who was stealing - I was actually doing the right thing for a change!" She felt her adrenaline start to get the best of her, activating her fight or flight sensation - she felt the need to run out of the room or punch somebody in the face. How could he accuse her of that! She hadn't stolen anything since her last spanking, and was really trying to stop, but was it even worth it if they weren't going to believe her anyway?

Peter eyed her for a long moment, finally letting out a heavy sigh. "I believe you," he replied. "I appreciate you were trying to make money without stealing, but I will not have the two of you hanging out in the subway, especially without us knowing where you are. We trusted you to ride to and from art class alone, not to take Allie gallivanting around the city, begging people for money in God only knows what areas of town. If you want extra money, you can talk to El or me about it and we can figure something out together. Maybe you could have a lemonade stand or something."

She scrunched up her nose. "Lemonade stand? No one does that anymore," she claimed but breathed a little easier knowing he believed her.

"Why don't you make bracelets or something and sell that?" Peter suggested. "Or sell some of your art? I'm sure people would invest in your work."

Natalie smiled. "That's a great idea! I'll do that for sure." She edged off the couch. "Well, thanks for the chat... see ya later!"

"Freeze," Peter ordered. "We still have to have a 'discussion' about your lying… again."

"I thought we just discussed it?" she said innocently. "I understand and won't do it again." Natalie knew, though, that she was pushing her luck.

"If you think you're getting off without a spanking you're sadly mistaken," Peter told her simply.

She slumped her shoulders. "C'mon Peter, I'm not a little kid. I need more independence! You don't understand."

"Uh huh, and when we gave you more independence, you took advantage," Peter replied. "If you want more freedom you need to show us you can follow the rules, and then maybe we will consider being more flexible. What I won't tolerate, though, is you lying about your whereabouts and taking your sister on the subway alone."

"But we used to do it all the time! It's not such a big deal," she grumbled.

Peter crouched to look in her eyes. "It is a big deal Natalie," he stated. "What if there was an emergency and I needed to find you? Or what if something happened to you? I nearly had a heart attack earlier wondering how I'd ever find you... if I'd ever find you... I had no idea where to even start looking."

"If I had a phone you could just call me," she mumbled, but not wanting to upset him more, said in a louder voice, "Okay, fine, I'll tell you where I am all the time." Like a criminal or something. But she didn't say that last part.

Peter could sense her annoyance and sat down next to her. "Listen, if you show us that you can be responsible, you'll get your phone." He reminded her of the deal they'd made, hoping it'd motivate her to stay out of trouble the next few days. "Remember that all of this is for your own safety. I'm not trying to be mean or control you. I just want you safe."

Natalie shrugged, looking at her toes.

"Shall we get this over with?"

"I guess," she grumbled then trudged upstairs, an uneasy feeling growing in her stomach.

Natalie was picking at her chipped black fingernail polish when she heard Peter's heavy footsteps coming closer and closer. A knot formed in her throat and she looked up as he entered, shrinking into the blankets when she saw the wooden spoon in his hands. Maybe he'd been cooking and had forgotten to leave it downstairs? (Hah, wishful thinking!) "Peter..." she said in a weak voice. "You really don't hafta do this."

"Yes I do," he replied and pulled out the chair to her desk. He didn't particularly want to spank her, but he could not condone this type of behavior. Sitting down he said, "I will never let you get away with lying to us."

"Does that mean you won't lie to me, too?" Natalie wanted to know, trying to avert her gaze from the spoon he was now placing on her desk.

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"That's not answering my question," she demanded. "I know Neal and Alex lied to me a lot, so why would I tell them or anybody else the truth? And, no offense, but how do I know the same thing won't happen with you and El?"

"I understand your concerns, but you'll have to figure out a way to trust me, Natty." When she didn't look convinced, he added, "I do take honesty very seriously, and can promise that I will be as honest with you as I can. But regardless, I want to make sure that it's clear: if I catch you in a lie, you will be spanked."

"Fine. But what if I catch you in a lie? Do I spank you, too?" she teased.

Peter chuckled. "How about you get Elizabeth to give me hell for it?"

"Deal."

It was nice that they were getting along so well, and Peter hated to ruin the moment but knew they couldn't prolong this forever. So he motioned for Natalie to come to him, and she obeyed, biting her lower lip. "I'm sorry for lying to you," she said. "For real. 'Cause you're right... you haven't lied to me... I don't think."

"I haven't," Peter assured her. "I'm a man of my word." He tugged her pants down so that she was standing there in her panties, then helped her over his lap and bared her bottom. "I don't want to have this discussion again, Natalie," he told her as he landed a swift smack to her upturned backside.

Natalie winced and said, "Me either."

He landed a few more swats, covering the top of her bottom with stinging smacks, working his way down to her sit spots and the tops of her thighs.

Natalie tried to take her punishment like a champ, kicking slightly as she clenched her eyes shut. "Owwww," she whined at the stingy swats.

Her foster dad kept up the spanking, alternating between her cheeks and sit spots, watching as the light pink darkened and the 12-year-old began kicking slightly. Peter didn't spank her as severely as he'd initially felt necessary, feeling a little bad for her. After all, she'd been through a lot these last few weeks. But he also wanted to make sure that he lived by his word that she would be punished adequately, and that it was painful enough for her to remember it next time she thought about lying to him.

"Please no moreeee," Natalie whined, "I'm sorryyyy!" She grasped onto the chair leg to keep herself from reaching back. At the moment she didn't realize the spanking wasn't quite as hard as normal; it was still painful and humiliating!

Peter stopped for a moment, figuring her cherry red bottom had received nearly enough. But to really drive the message home, he knew he'd have to make an impression. "Almost finished, Natty," he said. "But this isn't the first time we've had a discussion about your lying, so twelve more... and with the spoon."

"Noooo," she begged. "Please, not that!"

Peter ignored her pleas as he punctuated each word with a swat of the wooden spoon. "Do." SMACK! "Not." SMACK! "Lie." SMACK! "To." SMACK! "Me." SMACK! "Again." SMACK!

"Owwww, okay I won't!" Natalie squealed.

"Next time." SMACK! "I won't be." SMACK SMACK! "So lenient." SMACK SMACK SMACK! "Do you understand?" SMACK!

"Yesssss," she howled, hand now flying back to cover her bottom as she subconsciously knew the spanking was over despite her lack of counting.

Peter set the spoon aside and rubbed Natalie's back as a few tears slipped down the preteen's cheeks. It wasn't necessarily because the spanking really hurt her that much – honestly, it just stung a little. The real reason she was crying was that she felt emotional that Peter was so concerned about her safety. No one had ever really cared that much before.

When it felt appropriate, Natalie pushed herself off Peter's lap and wiggled back into her pants. She wiped the last of her tears away and fell into a hug, deciding to allow herself to be a little vulnerable and enjoy the snuggles. Peter was really the only person she'd ever let see her that way... well, Allie, too, but not even her that often. "Thank you for caring," Natalie whispered so softly that she was uncertain if her foster dad had even heard. She wasn't sure she really wanted him to hear, but somewhere inside of her, she felt at ease and knew it was thanks to Peter.

Suddenly they heard a loud slamming of the front door and Allie shouting "We're hooooome!"

Natalie was a bit irritated that her little sister was interrupting her bonding time with Peter and taking center stage again, but the annoyance quickly evaporated as she remembered that she was about to make everyone in the house very happy.

"I see someone's feeling better," Peter commented when he climbed down the stairs with Natalie.

"Much better!" Allie agreed. "My tummy doesn't hurt anymore." She didn't even get the chance to greet Satchmo when El came in, giving her a big hug and happy to see the little one was animated once again.

"Good, I'm glad everyone's here," Peter said. "We need to talk about what happened today."

Everyone groaned - even Elizabeth, who didn't even know the story yet. No one liked family meetings anymore! But Peter assured them it was necessary, and they all sat around, telling and retelling the same stories, and listening to the same lecture from all three of the parents. But then it was finally time for a little good news.

"So Natalie, are you ready to tell us what you did with all the money?" Peter demanded.

The preteen looked at each of them with a smile, then hopped off the couch and ran upstairs to her room. First, she dug through her backpack to find and hide a wad of cash in the loose floorboard with her other valuables, only putting a few twenties in her pocket to give to and appease the adults. Then she dug around down there for the cardboard tube with Neal's present and shoved it in her backpack with the new art supplies.

A few minutes later, she jogged downstairs and dumped everything on the coffee table, spreading it out for all to see. She'd first gotten the art set she'd wanted - 150 soft-core colored pencils complete with a sharpener and eraser. But the surprise was that she'd also gotten one for Allie, as well as sketchbooks for them both, and a few coloring books.

The little girl's eyes went wide. "You got me a set too Natty?! Wow!" Allie lurched toward her new toys, thanking her big sister a million times.

Then, Natalie took the cardboard tube in hand, feeling her heart thumping against her ribcage. She was most excited about this present because she knew Neal would love it. It was something that he'd fought her mom over - something that, in Natalie's mind, had caused him to leave 6 years ago. She'd swiped it from her mom's safe when she was a kid... her first big steal!... because she wanted to give it to her dad to come back. And now he was back. Now it could be a present from his little monkey, Allie.

Nudging the six-year-old, Natalie slyly handed her the tube with the painting rolled up inside. She was a little curious as she'd never actually seen what the painting looked like, nor did she know why it was so important. Just that Neal would definitely like it.

Allie grinned at her sister and grabbed the present. "Here Daddy!"

"I don't feel right about you girls keeping the items you bought with stolen money," Peter admonished as Neal grabbed the tube from the little girl.

"Oh, here's the stolen part of the money," Natalie said, handing Peter a few bills totaling a little over $50, then looking back to Neal.

"What's this?" he asked Allie.

"Your present, silly! Open it!"

Neal was grinning as he popped out the end of the tube, expecting a picture that one or both of the girls had created. Instead, what he found was something he'd never expected to see again: the Degas painting that he and Alex had stolen together nearly seven years ago, right before breaking up and...

He looked up at Natalie. "Where did you get this?"

"Don't get too excited. It's a knock-off... I... Allie found it."

"Do you like it?" Allie asked, watching him carefully. She wasn't sure what was so great about the painting - she could make one that looked just like it, or even better! - but if he liked it that's all that mattered.

Neal scanned the painting carefully, only looking up at Allie momentarily to say, "yes, I love it. Thank you, Allie, this is a great gift." He may have sounded a bit insincere, but that was because he was running his fingers over the original Degas. No way this was a copy.

"Do your thing," Peter said, smiling. It was the part of working with Neal that he'd always loved.

Neal eyed him and sighed, holding up the painting for all to see. "Whoever copied this did a really good job – here you can see the brush strokes angle slightly to the right, which is consistent with Degas' usual paintings. But if you look really closely," he began, pointing for Allie to see, "you can tell the microcracks are a little immature for this time period. A little more time in the oven and this would've had me fooled." He looked up at everyone, thankful they didn't really understand what he was talking about. "But it is an excellent forgery, very high-quality."

Allie beamed proudly. "Good! I worked hard for it!"

As the family meeting wrapped up, Natalie scampered off to the kitchen to help El with dinner, doing her best to avoid being stuck alone with her dad because she wasn't ready to answer any questions. And Neal definitely wanted to approach the topic with his oldest daughter, curious as to how and why she had acquired the painting. He'd always assumed that his ex had fenced the piece, so he was still in shock about finally having it again. He was only worried that the wrong person would find out about it...

Neal was so deep in thought as he played with Allie and Satchmo that it was starting to really irritate his youngest. "Daddy! You showed me that trick three times already!" Allie exclaimed. "Quit staring at Natty and play with me!"

"Sorry... I'm just... tired." He smiled at Allie. "I don't really feel like doing magic right now."

Allie gave a dramatic sigh. "Or you could just pay attention and show me another trick."

"Right now I just have too much on my mind," he said, saved when Elizabeth called out that the food was ready.

Dinner was opposite than normal. For the first time since moving in with Peter, Natalie took control of the conversation, showing her social, happy side a little more than normal. The Neal was coming out in her! She charismatically told them a story about something that happened at school, leaving them all laughing and asking questions.

There was only one person who wasn't happy with the shift in the spotlight, and she sat at the end of the table next to her dad, glaring at her big sister. Allie's frown deepened when she tried to get her dad to listen to her, but she had no interesting stories to tell since she'd only watched TV all day. It was getting frustrating that everyone was paying more attention to Natalie... Everyone was supposed to be doting on her!

Allie finally got fed up and slipped away from the table. The chair was hurting her bottom and being ignored was hurting her heart. She went to Neal and tugged on his arm. "Daddy... Daddy... Daddy!"

"Not now, Allie," Neal said as he was asking Natalie a question about art.

Allie's blue eyes blazed with jealousy and a little anger. "Daddy!" she exclaimed as she hit his arm and stomped her right foot. "Pay attention to me!"

The entire conversation stopped and everyone looked at Allie.

"I want to show you something!" Allie insisted. She wasn't sure what she wanted to show him, she just knew she wanted his attention back on her.

"Allie," Peter exclaimed. "That was very rude to interrupt your sister like that. If you can't be polite, then you can go to your room."

Allie turned to glare at him. "I've been trying to talk and Natty won't shut up so people can hear me!"

Natalie felt a tingling sensation in her nose that told her tears were about to fall. But instead of crying in front of everyone, she excused herself and ran up to her room, tears pouring as soon as she hit the bed. She didn't even know why she'd gotten so upset – it wasn't a surprise that Allie couldn't tolerate the lack of attention.

Allie didn't care that her sister fled the room, but did become bothered when her father went to follow. "Dad-dy! Play with me!" She latched onto him, trying to keep him from following her sister.

"Monkey, you're being really mean to your sister right now and I don't like it," he said in a firm tone that he rarely took with his youngest. "She bought you those art supplies and helped you get this present for me, and this is how you thank her?" Neal shook his head in disappointment, turning away and stalking up the stairs for Natalie.

Allie stared after him in surprise as she started to cry. "I GOT YOU A PRESENT AND YOU WON'T PLAY WITH ME!" She stomped her foot for emphasis.

Peter immediately stood and said, "Let's go for a walk." He held out his hand and, without giving her much choice, dragged her outside.

Natalie heard the front door slam shut and then a soft knock on her own door. She hurriedly wiped her eyes, not wanting whoever it was to see she'd been crying, before saying, "come in."

"You alright?" Neal asked as he entered.

"Yeah, I dunno what came over me. Just hormones or something..."

Her father chuckled softly. "Well, your sister wasn't being very nice. Words get to us sometimes."

She shrugged, though she was starting to realize that Allie's words were only half of it. The other half had to do with that painting and all of the memories it brought up. And the sudden reappearance of this nagging feeling of emptiness.

"So... the painting," Neal said after a moment. "Where did you find it?"

"I'm not ready to talk about it yet," Natalie said honestly. "But one day I'll tell you."

"I'll be ready to listen whenever you're ready to tell," Neal assured her.

Meanwhile, Allie and Peter were strolling outside, the little girl trying to control her emotions, but failing. Peter hadn't said much to her, besides reminding her to breathe and that it was okay to cry. They'd walked about four blocks when they found a bench and Peter sat, pulling her onto his lap. "What's going on, kiddo?" he asked.

"Daddy's not paying attention to me," Allie whimpered. "I got him a present and he keeps paying attention to Natty."

Peter thought about his words carefully before speaking, remembering all of the coaching he'd gotten from his family. "Alliecat, I understand it's hard to share your father's attention. But he's Natty's father, too, and she usually lets you take all of his attention."

"But I worked hard to get his present!" Allie insisted tearfully. "Natty used my money to get it! He's s'posed to love me most today, not her!"

"Why not love you both the same?"

"Natty don't even like him, so why should he love her as much as me?" Allie snapped bitterly. "I'm the cute one."

Peter stifled a grin and just hugged her tighter. "Life is hard sometimes," he empathized.

"I don't want to share him with anybody," Allie sniffled. "I love him most. He's mine. She had her turn already." The little girl let more tears fall as she rubbed at her eyes. "Peter? Do you love Natty more 'cause she's never scared of you?"

"What? Of course not, silly! I love you both the same, no matter what."

"But how can you love us the same when I don't always like you?" Allie asked, rubbing her eyes more. "And how can Daddy love Natty when she hates him?"

"Those are big questions, kiddo," he admitted, pondering it for a moment. He babbled something about unconditional love and reminded her that when he and El took them in, he agreed to love them the same, regardless of how they acted. "I can't speak for your father, but I'd like to think he feels the same."

"Oh," Allie said softly. "Kinda like how I don't always like you, but I love you too?"

"Yeah, kinda like that," he said, smiling.

Allie maneuvered a little so that she was on her knees. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Do you think Daddy's still mad at me? Did I make Natty mad too?"

"There's only one way to find out."

"I don't like finding out," Allie admitted. "My bum hurts plenty already... but my tummy feels a little bad. Natty helped me..."

"We can go back when you're ready."

Allie stayed there hugging him for a few moments more. "My tummy needs to know," she told him finally, though she stayed latched onto him. "Don't let Daddy spank me anymore, 'kay? My bum couldn't take it."

"I can't promise anything," he admitted.

Allie sighed heavily as she laid her head on his shoulder. "I didn't think you could..."

"But I don't think he should have any reason to spank you again... especially if you apologize for that little outburst earlier."

Allie nodded, snuggling into Peter just a little more before yawning and mumbling, "I'm tired..."

Peter took this as a sign that she was ready to go and hoisted Allie on his shoulders - Neal-style - carrying her back to the house like that. Neal was in the living room, waiting for them, and Allie ran to him soon as Peter set her down. She tackled his legs and held on. "I'm sorryyyyy!"

Neal rubbed her back and said, "I'm not mad, monkey, but I think you should go talk to your sister." He pointed upstairs, then gave her a kiss on the forehead as El told Allie it was almost bedtime. "See you tomorrow, Alliecat," Neal said.

"Night Daddy!" Allie chirped as she hurried upstairs. She barged into her sister's room and tackled her. "I'm sorry Natty! I forgot he's your daddy too!"

"It's okay... I was a little emotional, too. But I wanted to show you something." She crept the door shut and tiptoed to her panty drawer, beckoning her sister forth. "I saved this for you – it's half the money we earned from our gigs... almost $100. Peter said we can't do 'sing on the train' anymore... but we'll find other ways to keep making money, k? You'll never have to worry about not having enough to buy Daddy a present."

Allie grinned up at her sister as she hugged her tight. "Thanks, Natty! I was scared Peter took all the money I had left."

"This is private, okay? No one knows except us." She covered Allie's cash back up, knowing that it was risky to tell the little girl, but at least Allie didn't know about the rest of the cash Natty had hidden in the floor... or the other valuables she'd found in her mom's safe. No one needed to know about that.

Allie made like she was zipping her mouth shut. "I won't let them spank this one outta me."

-x-x-x-x-

Peter stood outside with Neal, taking advantage of the moment they had alone. "What's the story about the painting?" he wanted to know.

"What about it?"

"What's the significance? Why that painting?"

Neal, master of half-truths, figured out a way to tell the story without revealing the illegal means by which it'd been acquired.

"Are you sure it's not stolen? It's really a forgery?"

Neal looked his boss in the eyes and said, "I can assure you that Natalie did not steal this painting," and smiled, clapping Peter on the shoulder. "Goodnight, Peter."

At home, he rolled the painting out onto the table and stood there admiring it.

"Alex probably has someone looking for that painting, Neal. You better put it somewhere safe," Mozzie warned.

Neal nodded. "And we can't tell anyone about this."


	8. Allie & Natalie Go to the Zoo

Spanking series, co-written with LenniLuvsBrian, mostly M/f, mostly non-consensual

A/N: This is an AU in which Neal and Alex have two daughters. Background is explained throughout the story.

Series Summary: 12-year-old Natalie is an independent and rebellious pre-teen, who has been taking care of her little sister, Allie (age 6). When their mom is arrested, the girls run away to find their father, only to end up in the care of an FBI agent and his wife instead.

Chapter 8 Summary: The girls have finally earned their rewards — the zoo and the phone! Allie's excitement gets the best of her and she breaks one of the rules, while Natalie wanders off to flirt with a cute high school boy. Needless to say, their foster parents aren't too thrilled about it…

-x-x-x-x-

"WE'RE GOING TO THE ZOO! WE'RE GOING TO THE ZOO!" Allie sang at the top of her lungs as she bounced around the living room like a monkey. The day had finally come - she'd earned her zoo trip and couldn't wait to get there!

Natalie had also been presented with her prize for good behavior: a new-ish iPhone, which she'd been staring at all morning, downloading all of the apps she'd heard about and searching for her friends. So far she'd found her two closest school friends (both 8th graders), and a cute high school boy named Justin that she'd been drooling over for the last week and a half.

Elizabeth and Peter smiled at the two girls. "We need to go over the rules before we leave," El told Allie, motioning for her to sit next to her sister on the couch. "Natalie, phone down for a minute while we talk."

Allie leaped onto the couch, squirming in excitement. "Hurry Lizbeth! The animals are waiting for me!" She'd woken early and had been moving non-stop since.

Natalie didn't budge from her phone until Peter came over and plucked it from her hands. "Heeyyy!" she nearly shouted.

He gave her a scolding look and she glared back, but sighed and straightened up.

"Natty let them talk so we can go!" Allie ordered, starting to bounce on the couch. "I can't wait much longer!"

Elizabeth started: "What are the rules today?"

"Listen to you an' Peter," Allie replied. "An' no screaming or I'll scare the animals."

Elizabeth's eyes moved from Allie to Natalie, who shrugged. "No running?"

"And keep the phone use to a minimum," Peter added, then glancing at the youngest, "and staying with us at all times. The zoo will be very busy today since kids get in free, and we don't want anyone to get lost."

"I can do that!" Allie replied. "Can we go nooooow?"

Peter smiled at his wife who put her hands on Allie's knees to calm her a little. "Allie, if you get lost, what do you do?"

Allie thought a moment. "Find a grown-up who works there?"

"That's right. Natalie?" she asked, "same for you."

"Yes, I know... C'mon, this meeting is pointless... can we just go already?"

"It may seem pointless to you but it's important," Peter told her. "But yes, we can go now."

-x-x-x-x-

The Bronx Zoo was about an hour subway ride for the family, which they preferred to driving since parking was scarce and Sunday traffic was at a standstill. At some point, though, they regretted being in the train rather than the car - it was hard to keep Allie still, and Natalie kept getting irritated at the lack of cell phone reception. Each time they entered a station, her phone blasted the same annoying tone about 30 times until Peter said, "can't you put it on silent?" and Allie moved around so much that she almost knocked over an elderly gentleman. Both girls muttered apologies and became engaged in conversation with each other to help the time pass.

It felt like days later when they finally arrived at their stop, and Allie shot out of the subway cart, running slightly ahead. Peter called for her to come back and Natalie ran after her. "You're gonna get in trouble," she warned.

"You people are being too slow! You got long legs and should move faster!" Allie insisted.

Her foster mom caught up to her and scolded Allie lightly, then grabbed her hand. The little girl tried rushing Elizabeth along, tugging at her while growling "Come on!" Allie couldn't help that she had so much adrenaline… she'd waited long enough to see all the animals she'd only ever seen on television and in picture books!

They finally made it inside and Allie squealed in delight. She didn't know which way to look or where to start. "I wanna see tigers an' bears an' lions an' monkeys an'... an'... all the others!"

"Please be patient, Allie," Peter said as El unfolded the zoo map, looking over it with Natalie.

"The tigers are that way," Natalie said, pointing.

But Allie wasn't listening, instead looking around the park in awe. "Ooh! Toys!" she exclaimed as she spotted the gift shop, and then grabbed Peter's hand. "Come on! I need a new animal first and after we can go see the tigers!"

"Hold it there, kiddo," he said, tugging her back. "We'll look at the gift shop on our way out."

"But… but..." Allie stuttered a little. "I see elephants and tigers in there! They need me to hug them!"

"After. Let's go see the real tigers first," he said, heading in the direction that Natalie had pointed. Elizabeth followed shortly after, but Natalie had stopped to check the 20 notifications she had on her phone. She almost got left behind, but Peter happened to look back and shout, "Natty, come on!"

There were plenty of animals to see on their way to the tigers, and Allie bolted from one exhibit to another, dragging her foster parents with her and clapping excitedly with each animal she saw. Her favorite so far had been the red pandas, which she and Natalie took selfies in front of while grinning wildly. Natalie was more excited to test out the camera on her new phone, especially now that she'd set up an Instagram account. She spammed it every few minutes with photos of different things, and was already up to 97 followers in one day!

When they finally reached the tigers, Allie let go of Peter to run ahead and press her face up against the plexiglass keeping them separated. "Hi kitties! Hi!" Natty finally caught up to her sister and instructed her to smile for another selfie.

"This is pretty cool," Natalie admitted, watching the tigers give a bored yawn, while the babies rolled around in the grass.

"I want one!" Allie stated. "They're super cute!" Eventually, she got bored with them and glanced around to think of another exhibit. "Let's find the bears! An' the lions an' elephants!"

Natalie had become distracted, though, as she noticed a comment on one of her Instagram photos - it was her crush, Justin. Her heart stopped for a moment, preparing herself for the worst, but she was pleasantly surprised: Hey, I'm there, too. Let's meet up!

"Natty! C'mon!" Allie called out. "We're gonna find the teddy bears!" She was holding onto both Peter and Elizabeth and was jumping and swinging between them.

"Coming!" Natalie said but quickly answered Justin's message: txt me!

The four walked back towards the bears, Peter and Elizabeth swinging Allie between them, occasionally looking back to check on Natalie who was still typing away on her phone. Allie squealed with delight as they walked and only stopped to investigate more animal exhibits on the way. She hadn't been this excited in her whole life and was having a blast!

They arrived at their destination and Allie cheered. "Baby teddies! I wanna hug them!"

"You can't touch the animals behind glass or fences, they're just here to look at," Elizabeth told her. "But there are some animals here you can hug. We'll go there next, okay?"

"Yeah!" Allie exclaimed as she resumed watching the bears for a little while. But she eventually grew bored and tugged on El's hands. "I wanna pet the animals, Lizbeth! Let's go!"

"We'll go in just a minute when Natalie finishes taking pictures," Elizabeth replied, as she dropped Allie's hand for a second, thinking Peter held her. But Allie's hand had also slipped from Peter's as she started walking along the exhibit, farther and farther away from them.

"We should go to the giraffes," Natalie said to Peter and El when she'd finished taking her selfies. That was where Justin was going to meet her in a few minutes and she really needed to get there!

"We promised Allie the kids' area first," Elizabeth answered, "but maybe after."

"Of course we're gonna do what Allie wants," Natalie grumbled. But it was then that Natalie glanced around, noticing how quiet it was, and said, "Where is Allie?"

Peter and Elizabeth looked down in panic, then frantically around the park. "Allie?!" They called out, only no response came.

Meanwhile the six-year-old had wandered into the butterfly garden and was distracted by all the butterflies fluttering around her. She hadn't really realized she'd wandered off alone... she'd just assumed everyone would follow her. After all, they were always supposed to be paying attention to her.

"Lizbeth! Look at the butterflies!" Allie said with wonderment. When no one answered, she turned around, a little confused, then frowned. Part of her had known she'd strayed from her foster parents, but part of her had been so sure they would come with her.

Near the bears, Elizabeth was beginning to panic. "I thought you had her?!"

"Hon, we'll find her. You told her we'd go to the kids' area… maybe that's where she went." He tried to imagine himself in her shoes, what she would do, where she would go. "C'mon," he said.

Natty was messaging Justin and her foster parents almost went off without her, but she raced to catch up with them. "I bet she went in here!" Natalie said, pointing to the butterfly garden. They raced inside calling Allie's name, unaware she had left just minutes before. She had already discovered the giraffes, laughing at them and moving on to the wild dogs. They looked sorta like Satchmo, but not really.

Natalie and El searched the entire butterfly garden while Peter stood outside, keeping an eye out for the little girl. A couple of times he thought he saw her, but it always ended up someone else. "Come on, Allie... where are you," he grumbled to himself.

"She's not in there," Natalie said, startling him. Seeing the giraffes close by, she pointed. "Let's look over there!"

El and Peter weren't sure if Natalie actually knew how to track her sister, but went along anyway because she knew Allie best. As they approached the giraffes, right by the wild dogs, El and Peter went in opposite directions while Natalie looked for Justin. "Hey girl!" he said, noticing her first.

Natalie tucked her hair behind her ear and batted her long black eyelashes. She was aware that her beauty was exceptional, especially for her age, and used that to her advantage when flirting with the high school boy. Sadly, they were only able to make a little small talk as Justin was heading to the sea lion show with his younger siblings. "You should come... you can sit next to me." He flashed a million dollar smile and Natalie started to answer but was interrupted by Elizabeth.

"Is that why you wanted to come here?" she demanded. "Will you help us look for your sister?"

Natalie blushed profusely and apologized to her friend, but agreed to find him later. Now she was the one grumbling as El complained to Peter that they should have gone to the kids' area, which had been his first instinct.

Allie was starting to get a little scared and kept glancing behind her, hoping to see her family. But then the animals kept distracting her, and she totally forgot that she was supposed to have told one of the grown-ups that worked there.

She passed giraffe house and finally stumbled upon the zebras, one of her favorite animals ever! "Horsies!" she exclaimed with excitement. She watched them for a few moments then remembered how Elizabeth told her about the petting zoo. Maybe the 'horsies' were part of the kids' area? It didn't matter that there was a fence - Allie was used to climbing things. For all she knew, that was part of the fun. So she climbed the fence, no one noticing until she was already on the other side. Immediately they began trying to coax her back out. "Hey! You can't be in there!" one of the zoo workers shouted at Allie.

She ignored him and moved a little closer to the zebras. "Hi, horsies!"

The worker radioed for help, not brave enough to enter the pen himself, and tried to calm the gawking crowd.

Elizabeth was still scolding Natalie with every step, and Natalie was getting angrier by the minute. Somewhere deep inside, both women knew that it was Allie they were really upset with, but they were taking it out on each other.

"Maybe it's time to get the staff involved," El finally told Peter when they reached the kids' area and still no sign of Allie.

Peter agreed and instructed Natalie to go with her. "Why don't I just stay here in case she stops by? She's bound to pass by here at some point."

He agreed and Natalie was finally left alone, sighing with relief. What a crappy day it'd turned out to be! But at least she could go to the sea lion show. She knew Allie well enough to have already imagined her climbing into one of the pens (especially when she saw a couple of men in uniform running towards the back of the park). It would be a while before they required Natalie's assistance or remembered she exists. Smirking, she stalked off, texting Justin that she was on the way.

Allie kept approaching the zebras, having tuned out all the shouting. Didn't they know their shouting would frighten the horsies? The zebras gazed at her with wary eyes but could sense the kid meant no harm. And the baby zebra was so tame that she walked right up to Allie as if inviting her to play.

"Hi, little horsey. I like you," Allie beamed, petting the little zebra.

Meanwhile, Peter and Elizabeth caught wind of the excitement and had a feeling they knew just who the little girl in the zebra pen was. They bolted to the back of the zoo, hoping Allie was unharmed. When they arrived, both of them squeezed through the crowd, wanting to get at the front of the excitement. "Allie!" Peter called. "Get out of there this instant!" He looked at El. "She can't hear us. I'm going in."

"Hey, you can't..." the zoo worker began, but Peter aggressively flashed his FBI badge and hopped over the fence.

As he approached Allie, he called out again, this time close enough to where she could hear. "Allie, get over here, NOW!"

The little girl looked up, startled to see her foster dad and oblivious to his anger. "I found the horsies! The baby one likes me!" She was still petting him, wishing she could bring him home.

Peter glanced back at the people watching them, including a zookeeper who was standing nearby with a tranquilizer gun. Then he eyed the mom zebra who didn't look very happy about the intruder. He knew that's who the tranquilizer gun was for - and he really didn't want to subject the little girl to having to see that. His concern, though, was coming out as irritation. "Allison Brianne Morgan," he scolded. "I need you to get over here right now. You are not allowed to be in here."

Allie's lower lip trembled when he said her full name; no one had ever called her that before! She slowly removed her hand from the little zebra and inched towards him. As soon as she was within reach, Peter snatched her up into his arms, thankful she was okay. Hugging her tightly, he said, "We were so worried about you... don't you ever run off like that again!" The baby zebra inched closer and closer, but Peter backed away, carrying Allie towards safety.

"I didn't mean to," Allie whimpered. "I was looking for you and found the horsies."

People cheered as the pair exited the zebra exhibit, but the zookeeper greeted them with a scowl. "Security has questions," he said in a bored voice, motioning for Peter and Allie to stay put.

Elizabeth came over, smothering Allie in a hug. "We were so scared when you disappeared, Alliecat! Please don't do that again!" Then, with a worried look, she told Peter, "Natalie's not answering her phone."

Peter groaned, blaming himself for demanding she put it on silent. "She's probably still waiting for us in the kids' area." He looked at the security guard in the golf cart as he scribbled notes on the report while chatting to the worker who'd first seen Allie. "This may take a while. Can you just go get her?"

Elizabeth nodded and took off for Natalie. She tried calling her again, groaning in frustration at how this child who begged for a cell phone wouldn't even answer it when she was called! And then it was even more frustrating when Elizabeth arrived at where Natalie was supposed to be, only to find the preteen also missing. She has a lot of explaining to do! Elizabeth thought to herself as she dialed Natalie's number once again.

Natalie had forgotten that she'd turned her ringer off, and she was having way too much fun with Justin. They weren't even paying attention to the show, too busy flirting with each other. Justin had his hand on her knee and they were giggling about one of the gym teachers when Natalie took out her phone to take a selfie of them. That's when she noticed the seven missed calls and felt her heart sink. "I should probably go," she said after snapping the photo. The last thing she wanted was Peter or El finding her here. He gave her a goodbye kiss on the cheek, which gave her the adrenaline rush she needed to get back to the kid area.

Almost immediately she saw El searching frantically for her. "Natalie!" the foster mom exclaimed, heading for the preteen.

Having only promised honesty to Peter (after all, she had a better relationship with him anyway), Natalie didn't feel bad at all when the lie fell out: "I had to pee and then I got lost trying to come back!" She hugged El with false sincerity.

Elizabeth wasn't sure if she should believe the preteen - Natalie's eyes were glazed over in something she could only describe as puppy love. She didn't have proof, but she'd bet that hormones clouded somebody's judgment, and they'd have to have a discussion about it later. But for now, they needed to get back to Allie. "We found your sister… it's a long story… let's get back."

"Where was she?" Natalie wanted to know.

Elizabeth explained the drama as they walked, saying almost word for word the same story Allie was now telling the security guard.

"And I still don't understand why people are so angry at me for petting the little horsey… he liked me!" Allie said, completing her statement.

Peter mostly apologized, and half explained the special circumstances the little girl had been through, though didn't feel it necessary to go in great detail. "I can assure you, this will not happen again."

The zoo security looked up at Peter, unimpressed, then continued writing the report. Allie was getting bored again and itching to be entertained… he knew his time was limited.

"Sir, if we can just go…"

The security guard held up a finger as if saying, "just a minute," and continued writing.

Even Peter was getting impatient now.

Allie started to squirm, feeling brave enough to start talking again. "I wanna go see the lions. An' the elephants and penguins."

Peter held onto her hand tightly, especially when an older balding man came towards them. He introduced himself as the manager and offered politely to escort them out of the zoo.

Allie's eyes filled with tears. "But I haven't seen all the animals!" she wailed. "And you promised we'd go to the gift shop!"

"You broke one of the zoo's rules, and they have the right to kick us out," Peter lamented, calling El now to notify her of the news.

"How was I supposed to know?" Allie demanded as tears streamed down her face. "I can't read anything yet."

"That's why you're not supposed to leave our side," Peter scolded. He was irritated that the whole day was now ruined and wasn't exactly gentle with the 6-year-old when he pulled her towards the exit with him. The manager offered to give them a ride in the golf cart, but Peter rejected angrily.

"You're going too fast!" Allie insisted as she tried to pull back a little. "My legs are short!" She tugged a little more when they passed the lions. "I wanna see the lions! Please!"

Peter stopped and growled, "Allison! That's enough!"

Allie shrunk some as he was starting to scare her. "I want Lizbeth!" she insisted as more tears filled her eyes. She started trying to pull away from him some more. "Let go!"

Her foster dad heaved a sigh. "We're going to get her now, but we've been kicked out of the zoo, so that means no lions, no tigers, and no bears." He kept a strong grip on her hand even though she was trying to break free.

Allie didn't like this version of Peter. He was too angry and firm and it was scary. The only thing she could think was that she needed to get away from him. Through her tears, she finally kicked his shin in desperation. "Let gooooo!"

Instead of entertaining her tantrum, he swiped her kicking, hitting, crying body off the ground and held her close to his body to keep her from hurting him. He found the nearest bench and sat down, arms wrapped around her belly and holding her wrists so she wouldn't hit him. "Allie, this tantrum is going to stop, now," he said in a low, serious tone. "If you keep this up, I will spank you right here in front of all these people."

Allie just kept squirming to get away. "I want my daddy!" she wailed, as she tried everything to break free. "Let me go!"

He wouldn't mind Neal being there at that moment either - then he could deal with this tantrum! "I'm giving you to the count of three to stop or you're getting a spanking." They were in a fairly secluded area, but still, people walked by occasionally and glanced at them, wondering what was going on.

Allie ignored him and everyone else, still twisting and squirming to get away. No way was she going to let him spank her! She could run faster than he could…

"One..." he began, also ignoring to the passersby. When she didn't let up, he said, "two..."

"No! No! No!" Allie shrieked. "I want Daddy and Lizbeth!" She finally maneuvered enough and leaned down and bit him hard as she could.

"Ow!" he shouted so loudly that a few heads turned. Peter almost lost his grip on Allie, but his quick reflexes caught her and he gently threw her over his lap, then started smacking her bottom at medium force: "You. Do. Not. Bite!" he lectured, punctuating each word with a swat. "When I say it is time to go, you will go!"

Allie shrieked, her hands flying back. "LIZBETH!" she called out her tears falling faster now.

He gave her a few more swats and said, "are you ready to obey and walk with me to get El?"

Allie responded by slamming her fists against his leg. She just wanted to get away.

He peppered a couple of quick, stingy swats to Allie's bare thighs, reminding her that it was her choice when the spanking would be over.

"Owwwiie!" Allie wailed her hands flying back. "No more Peter! No more! I want Lizbeth!"

Peter roughly lifted her up, now feeling ashamed that he let his anger get to him. He kept a firm grip on Allie's hand as he dialed El and asked that she meet them halfway. He couldn't do this alone.

Allie was sobbing, upset and confused and frightened. She rubbed her sore bottom furiously, wishing that Elizabeth would come already - she needed snuggles!

They both breathed a sigh of relief when they finally saw Allie's foster mom and big sister walking towards them. Peter gently let go of the little girl's hand so she could run towards his wife and she did, tackling her in a hug with tears streaming down her small face. She clung to Elizabeth tightly as sobs racked her little body.

Natalie was still texting on her phone, even though the battery was almost dead, so Peter yanked it from her hands. "If you're not going to answer when we call you, then you can't handle the responsibility of having a phone." She opened her mouth to argue but saw that he was not in the mood. Anyway, it was dying so it didn't matter.

"What happened?" Elizabeth mouthed to Peter, then looked down at Allie. "It's okay, sweetie, I'm here." She lifted her in her arms, holding her close to let Allie cry into her neck. She could feel the warmth radiating from the little girl's bottom and glanced at her husband, who nodded that it was true: Allie had been spanked in the zoo, in public! Poor baby...

"He's scaring me," Allie choked out between cries. "And they won't let me see the lions or elephants or penguins! And Peter promised we'd go to the gift shop and now he says we're not!"

El didn't respond, just carried the sobbing child, only putting her down when Allie became too heavy and had stopped crying. Elizabeth held her hand as Natalie and Peter trailed behind. Natalie wanted to ask a lot of questions but kept quiet. At least everyone's attention was focused on Allie for now.

It was definitely the most awkward train ride ever. Allie sat in Elizabeth's lap, sucking on her thumb until El pushed her hand away. "Allie, we were really worried about you when you climbed into the zebra pen," she said, pushing Allie's bangs out of her eyes.

"I didn't know you weren't supposed to go in there," Allie told her softly. "And they were nice to me… the little one liked me lots."

"I'd told you earlier that we can't go into the areas with a fence, didn't I?" El admonished.

Allie looked down at her feet, not wanting to face her foster mom's disappointment. "I thought maybe it was the kids' area."

"The reason there's a fence is so that you don't go in. And also, that's why we told you to stick with us and not run off on your own. You could've gotten badly hurt, Alliecat."

"I didn't mean to," the six-year-old sniffled. "I thought you were following me. I looked for you but the animals distracted me."

"Next time we go to the zoo, you'll have to hold either Peter's or my hand the whole time, okay?"

"Okay," Allie agreed softly.

"If they let us back in," Peter muttered, but only Natalie heard.

Everyone was happy to finally arrive home. They sent Allie up to her room, but Natalie hung around downstairs, shadowing Peter and wondering how to ask for her phone back.

"Natalie, will you go upstairs please?" Elizabeth asked.

"But my phone?" she wanted to know, eyes pleading.

"Later," Peter told her. "You didn't answer, and Elizabeth and I need to discuss things."

Natalie groaned and stomped upstairs, finding Allie curled up in her room with Satchmo. "You okay?" she asked. She only heard half of the story and wanted to find out all that'd actually happened.

"No," Allie answered softly. "Peter got scary and he spanked me at the zoo! And I didn't get to see all the animals and everybody's mad at me!"

"I'm not mad at you," Natalie said, tiptoeing inside and sitting down next to her sister. "Why did he spank you? What'd you do? Did you really sneak over the fence to the zebras... is that true?"

"Yes," Allie admitted. "The little horsey liked me. I was happy and then everybody started yelling. I don't like yelling Natty. It scares me lots." She looked down at her lap and started telling Natty exactly what happened. "And then he used my full name and then he spanked me! So I bit him and he spanked me more!"

Natalie tried not to laugh, but she couldn't help but think of the look on Peter's face when Allie bit him. "Yeah, well, you shouldn't of climbed over the fence, silly," she said.

"Well I didn't know," Allie told her. "It's not like I read yet."

"Uh huh, sure ya didn't know…" Natty said doubtfully but snuggled up with her little sister anyway.

"Do you think Peter's gonna spank me super bad Natty?"

"I dunno," Natalie admitted. "Hopefully not. But don't worry about it now. Just enjoy the snuggles."

Downstairs, Peter was ruminating over what he'd done wrong. "I just completely lost it, Hon. It was like I was someone else." He held his head in his hands, rubbing his temples to ease a headache. "I really scared her."

Elizabeth threw an arm around his shoulder. "I know you didn't mean to, Hon. The girls can be really infuriating sometimes."

"I didn't think it would escalate so quickly... I just lost my patience and..." He took a deep breath and El brought him in for a hug.

"I think you just need to take some time to relax and clear your head," Elizabeth said. "I'll talk to Allie about what happened today. She has to learn that she can't wander off like that."

Peter looked up at his wife. "Are you sure she hasn't had enough?"

"She could've gotten killed today," Elizabeth reminded. "We're very lucky you made it in time to get her out of there before one of the zebras attacked or the zookeeper shot the tranquilizer gun. Things could have ended much worse."

He sighed and nodded. "You're right. I didn't even spank her for that, just because of her tantrum."

"And later I'll talk to you about how you can handle her tantrums a little better, Mister," Elizabeth half-teased, giving him another kiss then climbing the stairs. She paused before reaching the top, remembering her encounter with Natalie. After all of the Allie drama, she'd almost forgotten. "It may be good for you to talk to Natty in a little while… I think she lied to me."

Peter groaned but agreed and followed Elizabeth upstairs, motioning for Natalie to come to her room. "We need to talk a moment," he said, closing the door behind them and sitting down on the bed next to her.

Natalie took a deep breath, hoping this was just a lecture and then he'd return her phone. Justin had probably sent her loads of messages by now, and she just had to know what they were!

"El thinks you may have lied to her," Peter stated, then asked her simply, "did you?"

Natalie felt a pit in her stomach and knew her hesitation had already been enough of an answer. "I might have stepped away from the kid area for a few minutes to see my friend, Justin," she admitted, looking down at her twiddling thumbs.

Peter was glad that the preteen had chosen to be honest, especially since he'd already skimmed through Natalie's phone and found plenty of evidence that she'd met up with this Justin boy. But that didn't change the fact that she'd lied to El. "You know that I expect you to be truthful with both Elizabeth and me. If this dishonesty thing is starting again, maybe we were wrong in thinking you're responsible enough to have a phone."

"Noooo... I am responsible enough! I'm sorry… I just didn't want to add onto all the stress Allie was causing. I really am responsible enough to have my phone." Big genuine tears welled up in her eyes now at the prospect of losing her cell phone. She'd just gotten it - she couldn't lose it already!

"Well you'll have all week to think about it because I'm keeping your phone until next weekend," Peter told her. "I can't have you lying about your whereabouts again. We've already talked about this."

"Peter, noooo..! Please don't take it away for a whole week!" Natalie let a tear slip down her cheek. Was she really that upset about a phone? "Can't you just spank me instead?!"

He glanced at her and pondered that idea. Now that he was calmer, it was easier for his rational side to come out. "If I spank you, you are still losing it until Monday morning, and that is my final offer."

"Pleaseeee just one more chance!" She even dropped to her knees, pleading with him. There's nothing worse than having a new toy taken away!

"Either no phone for a week, or a spanking and no phone for two days. It's your choice."

Natalie buried her face in her hands, crying loudly. It wasn't fair... she'd just gotten the phone and she wasn't even the one that did something bad!

Peter could feel himself softening a little. "Look if you take the spanking and are extra good tomorrow, you may be able to earn it back by tomorrow evening."

She eased up on the crying and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Peter," she said.

Peter gave her a soft smile. "I'm sorry you didn't get to see your friend for very long."

Natalie shrugged and blushed a little. "Me too." She sniffled and wiped her eyes again, not wanting the spanking but also wanting to get it over with and hopefully get her phone back ASAP. So she bravely stood and took a deep breath, then inched towards Peter, submitting to the punishment.

Peter pulled her over his lap, leaving her pants up. It wasn't totally Natalie's fault and her trip to the zoo had been ruined, too. And he didn't have the heart to give a severe spanking, especially after what had happened with Allie. He landed a few half-hearted smacks to her backside. "No more lying Natalie."

"I'm really trying," the twelve-year-old promised, squirming a little and holding back tears. The spanking didn't really hurt at all, but she was sad about her phone and sad about the zoo disaster and sad because Allie was probably also getting spanked.

"I appreciate that you're trying," Peter told her as he gave her a few more swats. "And remember to check your phone when it's on silent."

"I will," she promised. "Please give me another chance to show you I can be responsible!"

"Maybe tomorrow," he replied. "I'm not changing my mind." He gave about twelve more half-hearted smacks and stopped.

Natalie wiped her eyes and looked back at Peter to see if he was really done. She was kind of shocked, but also very grateful. She eased herself up and fell into Peter's hug. They both knew he needed the hug more than she did, but neither admitted it out loud. "I know it wasn't all your fault," Peter said. "We all made some mistakes today. "

The preteen snuggled into him, not new at giving affection to those in need. It was something she often only reserved for her little sister, but at this moment it didn't feel weird at all to latch onto her foster dad... she was closer to him than anyone else in her life, and he'd do the same for her.

-x-x-x-x-

In Allie's room, things weren't going as well. The six-year-old was whining, "Peter spanked me already!" She hadn't expected to be spanked more once home, hoping that being sent to her room was the last of the punishment.

Elizabeth sat in front of the little girl. "Let's get things straight about what happened with Peter. What did he tell you before spanking you?" she wanted to know. "He warned you before the spanking, right? He told you he would do it if you didn't...?"

"If I didn't keep trying to get away..." Allie finally remembered. "But I was scared and I just wanted to find you. Natty and I run when we're scared. It keeps us safe."

"We need to figure out a new plan for you when you're feeling scared," Elizabeth reasoned. "How about when you're starting to get worked up like that, you take a deep breath, like you're going to blow up a balloon. Can you do that for me?"

"Okay, I can try that," Allie promised. She was tired of running all the time, but it was really all she knew.

Elizabeth tried again to reason with the child. "Now, why did Peter spank you?"

"'Cause I bit him?" Allie answered. "And I kicked him too..." She looked down at her lap sheepishly.

El tilted Allie's chin to lock eyes with her. "That wasn't very nice, Allie."

"I was trying to get away," Allie told her. "You gotta fight when someone won't let you go."

"But Allie, it's just Peter. He's not going to put you in danger." She placed a gentle hand on Allie's shoulder, extending her compassion.

"He's scary when he yells," Allie said softly shrinking a little. "I don't like yelling."

"We can talk to him about that, and maybe help him learn how to breathe when he's feeling angry, too." She steered the conversation back to the matter at hand. "But there's still something else you did today that we're not very happy about. Do you know what that is?"

She thought a moment before answering. "I thought you were following me. I tried to find you but the animals kept calling me."

"What were you supposed to do if you got lost?"

"Find a grown-up," Allie answered. "But I got distracted."

"I don't want to hear excuses, Allie," Elizabeth said firmly. "You knew that you weren't supposed to run off, and you knew that if you got lost you were supposed to tell an adult. You chose to disobey two rules that we'd talked about before leaving, didn't you?"

"I'm telling you what happened Lizbeth," Allie replied getting frustrated. Adults just didn't understand why she got distracted sometimes.

"And I'm telling you what needs to happen next time, Alliecat. Do you know why we don't want you running off on your own?"

"'Cause I get lost and can't find my way back," Allie told her. "Like when I found Daddy when I was trying to get here."

"And what would happen if we never found you or you never found home?"

"I would be really scared and super sad," Allie responded. "I don't like being alone. People can be scary."

"You could also get hurt, and you'd be hungry because there wouldn't be any food. So many things could happen to you out there, Allie. It's important that you follow our rules and stay close when we're out together." She paused to give the little girl time to reflect on what she'd said. "And if you do get lost - because mistakes happen - you have to tell a worker or police officer."

"I'm sorry," Allie said as she threw her arms around Elizabeth's neck, squeezing her tight.

"Alliecat, you know the rules - what happens when you run off like that?"

"But I don't want another spanking!" she wailed. "I'm already sorry!"

"Tell you what. I happen to know that last time you ran off, Peter told you that you'd get a bare bottom spanking if you ever did it again. But since you were already spanked once today, I will spank you over your pajamas instead." Like her husband, El was a good negotiator.

Allie mulled over it for a minute, realizing that she probably wasn't going to be able to talk her way out of the spanking. "You're not gonna use a ruler are you?" The last spanking she'd received from her dad had been extremely painful and she really didn't want to feel the ruler again anytime soon.

"No Sweetheart, no ruler. Not this time."

"And Peter won't be mad at me anymore?" Allie checked. She really hated when people were mad at her.

"Peter's not mad at you, Allie. He was just upset about your behavior and about the situation."

"Oh," Allie said softly. She hugged Elizabeth just a little tighter. "Would a hug make him feel better?"

"After your spanking," Elizabeth promised. She lifted the little girl and walked her to the dresser, picking out two different PJs for Allie to choose from.

Allie chose her purple Barbie pajamas and let Elizabeth help her into them. She wasn't looking forward to being spanked again, but she was kind of eager to get to the snuggles.

When Allie was settled in, Elizabeth sat on the bed and pulled the little girl over her lap. "Why are you being spanked?" she asked, wanting to make sure the message would stick.

"'Cause I ran off at the zoo," Allie answered with a whimper, squirming some.

El nodded and slapped Allie's tiny bottom, peppering her cheeks lightly, not nearly as hard as Peter had spanked earlier, but still enough that she would remember this punishment for a long time. "No sneaking off again, Allie, or something much worse than a spanking could happen."

"Owwwww!" Allie whined as her eyes filled with tears. "I'll be super, super good!"

"I hope so," Elizabeth said, focusing now on Allie's sit spots and increasing the speed and intensity of the swats. "Peter and I would really miss you if you got lost. And your dad and sister would also miss you a lot."

Allie began to cry as her legs kicked. "I'd miss you most!"

El tried to ignore Allie's tugging on her heartstrings, and continued the spanking. But she did go a little softer on her than originally intended. Even so, she ended with a barrage of hard swats in the center of her bottom. "I hope we don't have to have this discussion again anytime soon," El said.

Allie lay there sobbing. She hoped they didn't have to discuss it again too! "I'm sorryyyyy..."

Elizabeth rubbed her back and scooped the little girl into her arms for another hug. "It's all over sweetie," she promised. "You're forgiven. I love you."

"Love you," Allie choked out as she snuggled into Elizabeth. She loved the woman quite a bit and enjoyed her snuggles the most.

They stayed like that for a while until Allie's tummy growled. "Are you hungry, Alliecat?" Since the day had gone so badly, El was sure no one felt like cooking... but maybe they could have a family fun Saturday night!

"Very hungry!" Allie agreed. "We missed lunch!"

Elizabeth gave a small laugh as she carried the little one down to the kitchen. "I'm going to order pizza!" she called out.

Allie peeked into the living room and spotted Peter. She cautiously went towards him, unsure if he was still in scary mode. "C'mere, kiddo," he said in a nice voice, holding his arms out.

"Are you back to being un-scary now?" she asked.

Peter half-smiled, feeling an ache in his chest. "I'm sorry for getting so angry and impatient with you earlier, Alliecat," he said.

"Lizbeth said we'll help you work on that," Allie told him, inching closer. "I'm sorry for biting you... and kicking you..."

"You're forgiven."

Allie finally wriggled close enough to Peter that she could place her hands on his knees and peer up at him. She stared at him for a few moments before climbing up onto his lap. She stayed on her knees and threw her arms about his neck.

Peter held onto her tightly, feeling a rush of emotion come over him. He was so happy that she'd forgiven him; he hadn't realized how worried he was that she'd hate him forever. He'd definitely have to keep working on being more patient with her.

"I thought you might need a hug," Allie informed him quietly. "You looked sad. I don't want you to be sad Peter..."

"I'll be okay," he assured her.

Allie clung to him a little tighter. "Let's watch My Little Pony! That always makes me happy!" she said and grabbed up the remote. She was a pro with remotes and easily switched it to her favorite show on Netflix. "Can I sit with you, Peter?" she asked him, pulling back enough to watch his expression.

"Of course!" Peter felt his heart swell with happiness and a little guilt. He knew he was really going to have to work on taming his temper with the little monkey. He always seemed to take two steps forward and one back with her and that needed to change - the sooner the better.


	9. Allie & Natalie's Weekend at Neal's

Spanking series, co-written with LenniLuvsBrian, mostly M/f, mostly non-consensual

A/N: This is an AU in which Neal and Alex have two daughters. Background is explained throughout the story.

Series Summary: 12-year-old Natalie is an independent and rebellious pre-teen, who has been taking care of her little sister, Allie (age 6). When their mom is arrested, the girls run away to find their father, only to end up in the care of an FBI agent and his wife instead.

Chapter 9 Summary: After visiting their mom in prison, the girls spend the weekend with their father. There's a lot of emotions happening, which means that they definitely won't be able to keep themselves out of trouble. Good luck, Neal!

-x-x-x-x-

Natalie's forehead stuck to the frigid window in the backseat of Peter's car as scream-y music filled her ears, trying to distract her mind from the racing thoughts. They were headed to Danbury Federal Correction Institution where her mom, Alex, had finally been transferred to serve her sentence for whatever it was she'd done wrong. Natalie definitely wasn't feeling up for the visit, she really wanted nothing to do with her mom, but Peter and Elizabeth had thought it would be a good idea for the girls to go anyway.

By her side, Allie was excited and a little nervous. Despite rarely voicing it, she missed her mother quite a lot, even though her foster parents, father, and dog best friend kept her pretty distracted. But the idea of going to jail gave her the jitters. And what if her mommy didn't want to see her? Fidgeting in her seat, she whined, "Are we there yet?"

"Almost," Elizabeth promised.

Natalie turned the volume of her music up until she saw road signs warning drivers of hitchhikers, and Peter eyeing her in the rearview mirror. That could only mean that he was ready to have another of his famous family meetings.

"What's it gonna be like? Can I hug Mommy when I see her?" Allie was asking as Natalie tugged out her earphones to appease her foster dad.

"Yes, you'll get to hug her, but there are rules that are very important that you both need to remember," Peter said as he turned off the highway. He began reciting them slowly, asking questions to make sure both girls understood.

"Don't worry, Peter. It'll be okay. You'll be there to remind me if I forget something," Allie said, flashing him an innocent smile. She couldn't stop fidgeting and squirming in her car seat, the butterflies in her tummy multiplying and making her heart beat faster and faster. Jails were probably the most frightening thing that Allie could think of, so she was glad that Peter and El would be around to make sure nothing bad happened.

The car halted at a red light and Peter glanced at his wife, then back at the girls. "Actually, El and I are going to let you two go in to spend the time with your mom alone. But we'll both be outside whenever you finish."

"Oh," Allie said softly. "Okay... well, Natty will be there!" She gripped her sister's arm and gave a panic-stricken grin. At least their foster parents would be close by… that meant everything would be okay, right? Not wanting to think about it anymore, Allie changed the subject. "I hope Mommy likes the picture I made her!"

"I'm sure she'll love it," Elizabeth replied, smiling at the six-year-old. She'd been quiet almost the entire ride, feeling a little anxious for the girls as she wondered how this visit would affect them. Natalie had been doing well at school and was almost coming out of her shell, having totally warmed up to Peter by this point. El's relationship with the preteen was still a little rocky, but at least she wasn't stealing anymore or lying to them. Allie had also been doing really well lately. After the zoo incident, she hadn't even had a bad day in school. She was starting to thrive in the structured environment and rarely even spoke of her mother. Would this visit bring up too many negative emotions? Would the girls be able to handle it?

"No cell phones," Peter told Natalie, snapping Elizabeth out of her thoughts. She looked up to see that they'd arrived at the parking lot, and Peter had turned the car off.

"But…!"

"I didn't make the rules," he reminded the preteen, holding out his hand. Natalie grumbled a bit but gave him her phone anyway, and Elizabeth put it away in the glovebox.

"I really don't wanna be here," Natalie admitted to her foster dad as they walked inside.

"I know," he empathized. "But we're here now, so you might as well go in and say hello." Peter put an arm around her shoulder to ease her worries, looking back at his wife who was carrying Allie. The little girl also looked uneasy. Like Elizabeth, he was concerned about how this visit would affect their behavior. However, it was his duty to allow them this opportunity to spend time with their mom, and afterward, they could decide themselves how often they wanted to do this.

Peter opened the door for his family and instructed them to sit in the waiting area while he signed-in and grabbed a slip of paper, just like at the DMV. Now they just had to endure the boredom of listening for their number.

Allie clung tightly to Elizabeth. "Where's Mommy?"

"She's inside," El answered.

The four of them sat in the blue plastic chairs, Natalie reading the graffiti on the chair in front of her while Allie asked their foster mom a million questions. Growing more and more bored, Allie finally convinced Elizabeth to sing silly songs with her.

"I wish I had my phone," Natalie muttered.

"There is more to life than your phone," Peter told her.

"It's just boring," she said, kicking her feet and accidentally bumping the woman in front of her. "Sorry," she said. She looked at Peter. "How long is this going to take?"

Peter sighed. "I don't know." Whoever invented prison waiting rooms certainly didn't have children in mind.

It felt like forever, but within 30 minutes the family was ushered inside. El was still holding Allie but set her down when they went through the metal detectors. The little girl was slightly intimidated by the large devices that kept making noises but managed to walk through without incident. "Can I see Mommy now?" she asked. "I don't think I can wait any longer."

As if someone had heard the little girl, the door on the other side of the room opened, and a guard came out with Alex. El smiled and pointed so that Allie could see and her eyes went wide with excitement. "MOMMY!" she squealed and sprinted towards Alex, all rules suddenly forgotten. Nobody cared, though. It was kind of a sad sight anyway, having such a young girl in federal prison to visit her mom.

Alex cried tears of joy as she picked her little girl up. "Allie! I've missed you!" she said, smothering her in hugs and kisses.

"I drew you a picture! Lizbeth said you can put it on your wall and this way you'll think of me lots and lots!"

"I love it!" Alex gushed. "Thank you! It's beautiful." She looked over at her oldest daughter now, who was still standing near her foster parents. "Hi Natalie," she said, beckoning her forth.

Natalie nodded in acknowledgment, frozen in place. Peter gave her a supportive squeeze on the shoulder, nudging her a bit. "Hi Alex," she began, feeling a rush of emotion at the familiarity of her mother's voice. They locked eyes for a moment and Natalie inched forward, finally seating herself in front of her mom.

"Mommy you should meet Satchmo. He's my doggy friend and is bigger than me and sleeps in my bed!" Allie told her excitedly, not even paying attention that Peter and El had backed out of the room. "We play lots and his favorite games are ball and tag!"

"So your foster parents are nice?" she wanted to know.

"Uh-huh!" Allie nodded. "I love Lizbeth. We baked cookies and she reads me stories! Peter's... okay... I'd rather be with Daddy. Daddy teaches me magic!"

Alex blinked. "Daddy?" she asked, laughing. "And who would that be?" Last time she'd heard from Neal, he was in prison, and she had no idea the deal he'd worked out with the FBI.

"You don't know?" Allie asked looking surprised. "Everyone calls him Neal. He's lots of fun!"

Alex went from amused to concerned as she eyed the oldest. "What's she talking about?"

"Yeah, he came back 'round," Natalie answered.

Alex was surprised to hear that. "And he came looking for you?"

"I tried to take his wallet," Allie piped up. "But he caught me."

"You tried to take his wallet? Allie!" Alex scolded.

"Yeah, that's what we had to do to survive," Natalie said bitterly. "After you were arrested, for basically the same thing."

"That was different," Alex told Natalie. "I was trying to give you everything."

Allie shrugged. "I don't play that game anymore. Daddy doesn't like it. My butt hurt forever after last time."

"Good, you shouldn't play it, it's dangerous."

Allie babbled away for a while before growing quiet as she snuggled into her mother a little more.

Alex finally had a moment and eyed Natalie. "Did you remember to get the 'presents' I left you?" It was the one thing Alex had always advised her oldest daughter: if the cops ever come, get everything from the safe in the loose floorboard. Don't forget to get the presents, Alex would always tell Natalie.

"Present?!" Allie piped.

Natalie ignored her little sister. "Yes, I got them, and they're safe."

Alex smiled. "I'm glad you remembered."

"Why didn't I get a present?" Allie demanded. "I like presents!"

"Allie!" Natalie and Alex scolded at the same time. Natalie continued, "I already gave it to you. Remember? The art set and coloring books and stuff?"

Allie shrunk a little. "I forgot..." she said softly, pressing herself into her mother even more.

Natalie shook her head. Sometimes she wanted to tell her sister that it wasn't always all about her.

"I'm glad that you have it safe," Alex said, squeezing her little one and watching one last magic trick of Allie's before they were told visiting time was over.

A breath of relief flowed from Natalie when she saw Peter and El again. At last, she was free from the stress of talking to her bio mom! But Allie wasn't quite as happy. She clung to her mother, protesting, "I don't wanna go! I'm not done yet!"

Alex stooped to Allie's level, looking her directly in the eyes. "You're okay, Allie. I will see you again soon, I promise."

Natalie grabbed her hand. "Come onnnn," she groaned.

"NO!" Allie exclaimed tearfully, tightening her grip on her mother's shirt. She struggled to get her other hand away from her sister. "Mommy, I'm not ready to go! I don't wanna!"

The little girl was surprised when her foster mom appeared suddenly, taking her hand from Natalie and speaking to Allie in a sweet voice. "Remember we have to go to Daddy's house tonight? And we'll come back to visit Mommy soon." Elizabeth smiled, tucking a lock of Allie's hair behind her ear.

A few tears streamed down Allie's face and she frowned but glanced up at her foster mom. "Promise Lizbeth?"

"Promise," El said, looking at Alex, who also promised they'd see each other again soon. Her mom gave Allie one last long hug before she was escorted away by the guard.

Allie was crying pretty hard when Elizabeth scooped her up and carried her back out to where Peter stood in the waiting area. "I hate saying goodbye," Allie muttered, burying her face in Elizabeth's chest.

"I know, Sweetheart," she replied.

Noticing the glum expressions on the girls' faces, Peter said, "I think a Happy Meal is in order."

-x-x-x-x-

"C'mon, Natty! We can't let the bad guys catch us!" Allie shrieked, bolting through the tunnels and jumping into the ball pit.

Her big sister followed, diving in after the little girl and giggling. Natalie was too tall to be allowed in the McDonald's play place and considered herself too old to play pretend, but there was no one her age around and she really needed the distraction from thinking about her mom. Nothing else was really working… Even texting her sorta-boyfriend, Justin, hadn't been helpful!

They played together for about an hour before their father appeared in the doorway, greeting Elizabeth and Peter. Allie was the first to see him and dashed forward shouting, "Daddy!"

Natty had actually been so distracted that she'd forgotten her foster parents were going out of town for the weekend and they'd be staying overnight with their dad for the first time ever. Ughh, first Alex, now him… can't I catch a break? the preteen groaned to herself. Now I'll be stuck doing what Allie wants all weekend because everything with Neal always revolves around Allie. If only he'd realize that she's got him wrapped around her finger!

"Hey, little monkey!" Neal said, catching the six-year-old as she jumped into his arms. He glanced in Natty's direction, then looked at Peter and El, asking, "What's up with her?"

"It's been a long day…" El admitted.

"Mommy liked my picture," Allie piped up as she snuggled into him.

Peter handed Neal the girls' overnight bags and said, "good luck," clapping him on the back.

As the three walked to his house, Neal wondered what he was getting himself into. Sure he'd watched the girls before, but never for such an extended period of time, and rarely was he alone with both of them together. Allie had taken to him quite easily, and he was able to figure out how to sway her to act as he wanted. But the oldest was a bigger challenge. He still hadn't figured out how to connect with Natalie.

Looking down at her, he decided to try to start building a rapport. "What do you want to do this weekend? Any ideas?"

Allie peered at her father from where she sat perched on his shoulders. She hadn't realized he was talking to Natty - why would he be talking to her? So she answered casually. "Can we play games an' go to the park an' eat popcorn an' chocolate? An' watch cartoons an' read stories?"

"He was asking me!" Natalie snarled, glaring up at her sister. "Why do you always have to make everything about you?"

Allie's lower lip trembled as she sniffled and tried to hold back her tears. Why's Natty being so mean to me? What'd I do to her?

Noticing the tension, Neal interrupted their dispute. "So... what do you want to do Natalie?"

"We could go see a movie, or go to an art museum," she said, more out of wanting to annoy Allie rather than actually wanting to do those things - her little sister didn't have the attention span for such low-stimulation, indoor activities.

Neal nodded. "We could maybe do one or both of those," he replied, impressed that she wanted to go to an art museum. Potential bonding activity?

They didn't have more time to explore possibilities for the weekend because they'd reached Neal's home, and a redheaded woman was standing in front of the door as if she'd been waiting for him.

"Who's that?" Natalie wanted to know.

"She's a friend from work. To what do I owe this pleasure, Sara?" Neal said with a smile that suggested she was more than just a colleague. He set Allie down for a moment to make introductions.

The woman greeted each of the girls with a handshake. "It's so nice to meet you both. I've heard many good things about you."

Natalie eyed her warily. "I'm sure you have."

Allie said nothing, just hid a little behind her dad and latched onto him.

"And this?" Neal asked, pointing to the expensive-looking bottle of wine in Sara's arms.

"This is a thank you for last night," Sara answered, blushing and giving a goofy smile.

The preteen's eyebrows raised with suspicion. "What'd you do last night?"

"We worked on a very important case," Neal answered, opening the door and pausing for everyone to enter ahead of him. Allie stayed behind with her big puppy eyes and he stooped down to her level. "What's the matter, Alliecat?"

"I don't like her. She seems very fishy. I can feel it in my tummy," Allie said, resting a hand on her belly.

Neal ruffled her hair. "Give it time, once you get to know her you'll see Sara's a great person." When she wasn't convinced he added, "I think I have some ice cream in the freezer for a little monkey I know..."

"I love ice cream!" Allie smiled. "And did you get chocolate sauce?!" Without waiting for an answer (because she knew he had), the little girl took her father's hand and led him inside, only to walk into the middle of a standoff in the living room between Natalie and Sara.

"What are you doing here?" Natalie was sneering. "This is Allie's time with her dad. She's more important than you are, so you should leave." The preteen was suddenly protective of her sister again, which was really her way of denying her own feelings. Somewhere deep inside, she really felt a little jealous that everyone else was taking up the time she was supposed to spend with her parents.

"I just stopped by to say hello," Sara replied. "I'm not trying to take time from anyone so relax. I'll be gone in a few minutes."

Allie pressed herself into Neal possessively. "He's MY Daddy an' you can't have him!"

"Natty, how about you make a bowl of ice cream for you and Allie?" Neal said, placing the wine bottle on the dining room table. There was no use in arguing with them; distractions were best.

"Yeahhh!" Allie chirped and ran to the fridge to get the chocolate sauce. The preteen continued scowling at the adults for a few minutes, then followed her sister to the kitchen. "Make sure it's a lot!" Allie demanded.

"I will, I will," her big sister promised, gathering the supplies and filling up the bowls as high as she could.

Neal took Sara to the doorway and apologized about Natalie. "It's a rough time for them both," he admitted and grabbed Sara's hand, looking her deep in the eyes and smiling. If only they could have some alone time...

Sara nodded in understanding. "It'll take time for them to warm up, but I know it will all work out."

Interrupting their moment was Allie, who had climbed onto a chair and spotted the wine. She reached for it, wanting to touch and admire the shiny red and gold bottle. "Oooh. Pretty! I like juice!"

Neal happened to glance over just in time to see his little one reach for it and hurried over to snatch it away. "This is for adults only, Alliecat. Hands off." To reaffirm his point he placed it in a high cabinet, out of the little girl's reach.

"I just wanted to see it. It's pretty." But she was quickly distracted by the painting that hung over his head on the wall. "You liked the present!" Allie gushed.

The couple looked back as well, and Neal chuckled. "Of course I liked it, Monkey." He was glad that he'd thought to put it out before Allie arrived, knowing her close attention to detail. But also, he wished she hadn't pointed it out with Sara there.

Natty put the bowl of ice cream in front of Allie, distracting her again and giving Neal the opportunity to get back to his girlfriend/colleague. "Now where were we?" he asked with a simple caress of her cheek.

Instead of waiting for her big sister to squirt on the chocolate, Allie snatched up the brown plastic bottle, squeezing it tight to drown her ice cream in the liquid. When it was about to overflow, she finally set it down and licked her sticky, chocolatey fingers.

Natalie repeated the process, and the girls ate in silence, only glancing over at their father and the intruder every so often. Since Neal was still busy with the woman, Natalie decided to give themselves seconds, with even more chocolate syrup (in fact, they emptied the bottle).

"When is she gonna leave?" Natalie muttered to her little sister.

"She's hogging Daddy, he's supposed to be playin' with us!" Allie glared in the direction of the adults and a light bulb went off. "Oooh, I know..." she chirped, eyes mischievous.

Natalie watched as her little sister hopped down from her seat and hurried into the next room, gooey hands out in front of her as if she were a zombie. When she reached Sara, she shoved her firmly, announcing, "Time to go lady! It's our time with Daddy, not yours!"

A shriek echoed through the apartment and Neal lightly scolded his little one, pulling her away from his friend. "Allie, don't be rude," he said, then squatted to her level. "Sara's about to leave, so I want you to apologize to her and go wash your hands, then we can watch cartoons and paint if you want. I even have a surprise for you!"

"I like surprises," Allie told him as if he didn't know this already. "But Daddy I'm not sure I'm sorry. I don't want her here. It's mine and Natty's time and that lady's bein' a hog." She glared towards the bathroom, where Sara was trying to scrub the brown stains off her white pants.

"I know monkey, but we have alllll weekend together, and you know we have to be nice to people... being nice equals more presents, right?"

"Really? More presents?" Allie's eyes went wide. Maybe she still wasn't sorry but if it meant more presents...

"I meant in general. But you'll only get yours if you apologize and wash up."

Allie frowned a little, unimpressed. "I guess I can do that..." she sighed dramatically and allowed her dad to push her towards the bathroom. Her apology was insincere, but Sara understood.

"I'll walk you down," Neal told his colleague, turning to Natalie. "Can you clean up? When I get back we'll do something fun."

Natalie rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever," she said, throwing the dishes together and letting them crash in the sink. Neal paused to study her for a moment, but let it go. She would be fine.

When their dad was out the door, Allie's sugar rush kicked in. She hopped up onto the couch, jumping around on it and shouting, "Let's play Natty! Let's play!"

"I was ordered to do the dishes," Natalie sulked, running water in the chocolatey bowls. She had this sudden urge to get back at her father, angry with him for deserting her for so many years, angry with him for leaving her alone with Alex, and not stopping Alex from getting arrested, and not stopping himself from getting arrested! All of these damn criminals in her life, yet they expected her to be the perfect angel.

Lost in her thoughts, Natalie sprayed the bowls in such a manner that water splashed all over her and she screamed, then giggled. Pulling out the hose, she pointed the nozzle in Allie's direction. "Water fight!"

Allie came running. "Wait! I need water too!" She opened the fridge to find a bottle of water, then struggled to crack the seal. "Natty it won't open!"

"Too bad," Natalie responded, giving an evil laugh and squeezing the handle on the nozzle so that it sprayed Allie's face with cold water.

The little girl squealed and finally popped off the cap, flinging water in Natalie's face and causing her to shriek, even though she'd been expecting it. Natalie pointed the sink hose back at her sister, and the two of them fought like that for a few minutes until there was no bottled water left and they were giggling so hard their tummies hurt.

When their laughs died down, Allie said, "Natty I'm thirsty, I want juice."

"Okay, sure," Natalie said. Neal had put the wine bottle on the top shelf, but Natty was tall and reached it easily. Then she found the corkscrew and jammed it inside, remembering her mom's parties. Alex used to have guests over frequently, and when Natalie turned eleven she'd help out with serving in exchange for being allowed to have a small glass of wine herself. One of the things Alex had taught her was how to twist the corkscrew down, then POP! the cork would come out easily. As she did it now she smiled, proud that she hadn't lost her touch. Then she took a drink from the bottle and passed it to Allie.

Allie looked surprised at how much work it took to open the juice bottle, but eagerly took the heavy glass in her hands and sniffed the contents. Closing one eye and glancing inside as if it were a telescope she asked, "What kinda juice is this Natty?"

"Adult juice."

Satisfied with that answer, the little girl tilted the bottle up, red droplets hitting her tongue. She scrunched her nose up in disgust. "It's not that tasty!" But she took another sip anyway.

"Don't drink too much! It'll make you feel bad." Natalie spoke from experience: once she had found a 6-pack of fruity alcoholic drinks in the fridge, then spent half the night with her face in the toilet.

"Juice can't make you sick, Natty. Don't be silly!" Allie laughed and drank a little more when her sister wasn't watching.

Natalie turned back just in time to see what the bratty kid was up to. "Hey! I said be careful! This is a special kind of juice." She reached to take the bottle back from her sister, but Allie jerked it away.

"I'm thirsty. I like juice. You know that." Annoyed that Natalie was trying to boss her around, she took another sip, though not as much this time as the room was starting to get a little warm and her tummy gurgled.

"Grrrrrr… Allie! Stop!" Natalie yelled, snatching the bottle from the little girl's hands, this time successful. She held it up high where Allie couldn't reach. "Ha, ha, now you can't get it!"

Allie whined and jumped for it. "Natty give it back! You can't hog it all!"

"It's adult juice!" Natalie shouted, then drank some more.

"You're not an adult!" Allie shouted back. "I want some too!" Peering around the room, she found the closest object, an apple, and hurled it at her sister.

"HEY! What the fuck!" Natalie said, pushing Allie now, though she knew better than to be too rough with her sister. "You almost made me drop it!"

"Then give me some!" Allie screeched, stomping a foot. "And don't you shove me Natty! I know how to bite!"

"Yeah, well I have teeth, too."

"You can't bite me! Big kids don't bite people!" She then shoved her sister hard, trying to knock her over. "Give. Me. The. Juice!"

Natalie could feel her angry emotions on the surface again, threatening to explode on Allie. She thrust the little girl away again and roared, "I can bite you if I wanna! And my teeth are bigger than yours!"

"Don't be so mean! No wonder Daddy loves me more! You're nasty Natty!"

Allie's words punched the preteen in the stomach to where she couldn't breathe. Her impulsive side wanted to throw the wine bottle to the ground and tackle her sister, but she knew that physical pain would be temporary… it wouldn't really hurt Allie. No, what would really hurt her was turning their dad against her. So Natalie buried her impulses and smirked, then half-tossed the wine bottle to her little sister. "Fine, take it."

It almost fell to the floor, but Allie managed to wrap her little fingers around it, gulping some more down. She was starting to get dizzy but shook it off. "Yer...Yer a...a bitch!" she slurred, and was about to take another drink, but felt a sharp pain in her belly so strong that she dropped the wine bottle to the floor, shattering it into thousands of teeny pieces.

At the same moment, Neal re-entered the apartment, seeing the crash in slow motion. "What the hell?!" The oldest daughter looked back with a half smile at her dad until she realized that she was the one he was mad at. "Natalie, what is wrong with you! How could you let your sister drink?"

Her cheeks flustered with rage. "She's the one who wanted it! She fought me for it!"

Neal was going to continue the tongue lashing, but Allie murmured, "I don't feel so well," and a chocolatey, red waterfall of vomit spilled from her mouth.

"Oh Allie..." he groaned, reaching for a towel while yelling at Natalie, "I trusted you to behave for five minutes! I can't believe you'd let her get into my wine!" He didn't even mention the mess of water on the floor.

Before Natalie could answer, Allie threw up a second time and began crying, unable to move because of the dizziness.

"Shhh Alliecat, don't cry. You're going to be okay," Neal said and gave her the towel to wipe her mouth.

"My tummy hurts," Allie whined through tears. "And my head is spinning in circles..." She placed a hand on her head, trying to stop the dizziness.

Natalie couldn't believe it. Allie had been caught red-handed, yet wasn't the one in trouble! How the hell was that fair? Her blood started to boil.

"How much did she drink?"

"I dunno, she wouldn't let me have it!" Natalie yelled.

Neal didn't grace her with a response. "C'mon, Alliecat, let's get you cleaned up and then you can lie down. You'll feel better." He glared at Natalie as he lifted the six-year-old and helped her to the bathroom, hoping that she could hold any further puke for when there was a toilet.

Once inside, Allie allowed her dad to wash her face and put her in pajamas. "Daddy my tummy's not happy," she whimpered. "Natty said the juice would make me sick... but I always drink juice."

Neal felt his stomach drop - so Natalie had tried to warn the little monkey? Of course she did.. Natalie cared so much for her sister! How could he have ever doubted her? He'd have to apologize after getting Allie in bed.

"Allie, your tummy isn't happy because like I told you earlier, that is for adults only - not kids. But you're going to be fine. Most of it's out of your system now, you just need water and a bed."

"But we were gonna watch cartoons and paint! I can't play with you if I'm sleeping!" She wanted her presents, too, but felt too crummy to mention it.

"That was before you and your sister got into the wine," he told her. "We'll play tomorrow. But tonight you have to go to bed. That's final." Before she could say anything he pulled her out of the bathroom towards the guest room, listening to her whine and cry the entire way.

"But I'm not sleepy. I wanna snuggle!" Allie pleaded, arriving at the bedroom and noticing two sock monkeys on the queen-sized bed: one purple and the other green. Allie knew the purple was hers, so she picked it up and hugged it tightly.

Slipping off his shoes Neal said, "C'mon, I'll lay down with you."

Even though she didn't want to, the six-year-old crawled up onto the bed and waited for her dad to join her, then snuggled into him, seeking comfort. "I'm sorry I broke your juice bottle..."

"Me too," he admitted. "It was pretty expensive and a gift from my friend."

Allie sniffled and closed her eyes, happy that the room had finally stopped spinning. She almost asked her dad to make Natty come to bed, too, but before she had the chance, she drifted off.

Neal had planned to go talk to Natalie after Allie fell asleep, but putting in long hours at work the last couple of days had him more exhausted than normal. He didn't even hear Allie's light snoring when he dozed off himself, deep into dreamland where he hopefully wouldn't have to deal with vomit and bratty preteens.

-x-x-x-x-

While her dad had been locked in the bathroom with his favorite child, Natalie made a split second decision: It's time to leave. She didn't even know where she'd go when she threw her phone on the table and walked out the door (no need to have anyone tracking her), but she knew she had to get away from Neal's house. All he cares about is Allie. All anyone ever cares about is Allie.

It was time for Natalie to dig into the stash from Alex's safe, and then make a break for it. Not only did she have a bag of valuable jewelry and a huge wad of cash she'd saved, but she also had a new identity for herself (and Allie and Alex, but those wouldn't be useful). Her mom had shown her the forged passports ages ago, just in case Natalie needed to make a quick escape. Fortunately, she'd never had to use it for anything… until now. With the money, new identity, and a "letter" from her "mom," Natalie would be able to get a plane ticket to almost anywhere. Then she could live off the jewelry in luxury for a bit… and if she ever needed extra cash, she was a pretty good thief.

A pit in her stomach grew thinking of it, and what Peter would say if he heard her thoughts at that moment. He'd certainly be disappointed. But it wouldn't matter, because he probably favored her little sister, too, and wouldn't even notice she was gone.

Natalie finally arrived at her subway stop and kept a low profile as she crept through the neighborhood, trying to push away any guilty feelings that arose. When she turned the corner of her street, she blended into the background as much as possible as she checked to see if Peter's car was parked nearby, just in case they hadn't left for their weekend trip yet. But the parking spot was empty, as expected, and she breathed a sigh of relief. This was becoming too easy!

The spare key was hidden in one of the potted plants hanging by the doorway, so Natalie retrieved it and went inside, punching in the numbers of the alarm system. She wouldn't admit it, but part of her had wished Peter was still home, so he could stop her from leaving and remind her that she really was wanted in his household. Even as she dug through the loose floorboard and packed her backpack full of clothes, she felt a few tears slipping down her cheeks, warning her that life alone would be hell. And she would miss Allie so much, even if the kid was a pain in the ass sometimes.

Stop crying, she muttered to herself. You have to do this, you have to go. Nobody wants you here.

She counted up the money and eyed each of the jewels to mentally calculate the value, then threw the backpack over her shoulder. All left now writing Peter a note. And maybe another for Allie.

But did leaving a note really make her any different than her dad when he left?

-x-x-x-x-

Neal awoke about an hour after having dozed off, confused for a moment about why he was in the guest room until he saw the little monkey next to him, twisted up in the shape of a pretzel. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead - how she slept like that, he had no idea! As he stretched out, the realization hit him that he'd never had the chance to talk with Natalie, but now they should both be calm enough to have a rational discussion. And he could apologize.

He slipped out of the bed and patted to the living room, groaning when he saw there was still a mess in the kitchen. Maybe Natalie was mad at him, but couldn't she at least cover the vomit with a towel?

Where is she anyway?

"Natty?" he called, checking the bathroom and closet, then the balcony. No luck. "Natalie! This isn't funny!"

When his annoyance and impatience became too much, Neal decided to call the preteen. A buzz could be heard from the dining room table, and as he turned to face it, his anger turned to panic. "Natalie, where are you?" he said into the voicemail, turning the phone off and pacing.

"Okay, Neal, focus," he said aloud. "If I was Natty, where would I be?" He racked his brain for a few minutes, debating potential destinations when it clicked. "Peter! She would go to Peter's!"

There was no time to figure out what to do with Allie, so he just threw the little girl over his shoulder and raced outside, hailing the first cab he could find. He rattled off Peter's address and strapped his youngest in, she still fast asleep.

The spare key wasn't in its normal hiding spot, and the front door was left unlocked, a sure sign that Natalie was inside. A low crying could be heard coming from the dining room, and Neal gently threw Allie on the couch and inched forward in the dark.

"Natalie?"

The preteen didn't say anything at first, just sniffled and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She glanced up at her father, streetlight illuminating his face. "What do you want?" she half-sneered, though she was kind of glad that he cared enough to come.

"I was worried sick about you," he said, sitting at her side and pushing the wet hair out of her face. Her glistening blue eyes scowled at him, but he dared ask, "Why did you leave?"

"Why do you think? You're always giving Allie attention and making me do all the work. She's obviously your favorite. Why even bother dealing with me anymore?"

Neal blinked. That news kind of shocked him! He'd known Natalie was upset that he blamed her for Allie's drinking, but had no idea the issue was so substantial. She rarely even acknowledged his existence, and pushed him away every chance she had… but then felt like he didn't give her enough attention? It didn't make sense!

Clearing his throat, Neal said, "I'm sorry for making you feel that way. I didn't realize you wanted the attention, or even cared." He looked away from her for a moment, beginning to feel emotional and not wanting her to see. "I want us to have a relationship, Natty. But I'll be honest with you, sometimes it's easier to focus on your sister because she's still little and doesn't see me as a bad guy yet." He paused and looked back in her eyes with a smile. "And we both know how she gets when the attention is shifted away from her. It's not pretty!"

Natalie gave a soft giggle and wiped her tears away, still hugging onto her knees. It was one of the first times she had a moment like this with her father… at least the first in a long time!

Neal continued: "I'm genuinely sorry if I've made you feel like I don't care. Because I do care, and very much."

There was a moment of silence as the two sat there, half-staring each other down, half-staring into space, deep in thought. Finally, Natalie spoke. "I wish I could live alone, then no one could make me do anything I don't want. I could take care of myself just fine… I've been doing it long enough already."

Neal ignored her bitterness and shook his head. "Growing up is overrated, Natty. You should just enjoy being a kid… it's the best years of your life."

"Ha! I don't even know how to be a kid like Allie. Maybe that's why nobody likes me," she grumbled.

"What are you talking about? Everyone here likes you! Peter and El always talk about how great you are with Allie, and I happen to know you just might be Peter's favorite. And for your information, I've always loved you, Natalie. Just because I was an idiot and left doesn't mean I ever stopped loving you or thinking about you."

Natalie looked into her dad's eyes, trying to read whether or not he was being sincere. His eyes were glossy, tears threatening to spill at any moment even though he pretended to be tough in front of her. All this time she'd been keeping herself at a distance, having built a wall between the two of them for fear that he might leave like last time. But at this moment the wall crumbled, and she couldn't help it. She needed her dad! She needed his attention as much as Allie did! So she pushed herself up and threw her arms around Neal's neck, latching onto him tightly, then crawled up into his lap (like a monkey).

The longer they sat like that, the more Natty felt like she was in one of those cheesy family tv shows, until she finally said, "okay okay, enough with the mushy-ness."

Neal chuckled softly. "Shall we head back? You still have a present waiting for you."

"Yeah... just let me go unpack." She reached for the heavy backpack then jogged back upstairs to re-hide her stash, dumping everything else on the bed. She could put that up later.

They went back home and it took almost no time for Natalie to doze off - what a long day it'd been!

-x-x-x-x-

The bacon-y air drifted through the apartment, stirring Natalie awake seconds before her little sister pounced on top of her.

"Natty! Get up! Breakfast tiiiiiiime!" Allie chirped, shaking her big sister as she bounced on her chest.

"It's too early," Natalie groaned and tried to roll over so Allie would fall off her.

"Daddy made bacon an' eggs an' pancakes an' I helped him squeeze the orange juice! C'monnnn!"

There was a soft knock as Neal poked his head inside. "Natalie, breakfast is ready, do you want to eat now or later?"

Sighing, Natalie peeled her eyes open, first seeing her little sister on top of her, arm wrapped around her purple sock monkey. Then she eyed Neal, who actually had on an apron. "Can I have coffee?"

"One cup," he said.

Allie jumped off her sister, now running towards their dad. "I want coffee, too!" she exclaimed, though she had no idea what it was. "Can we eat now? I'm starved! My tummy won't stop growling!"

The mood was light as the three ate, talking and laughing like they were a real family. Allie babbled about magic and her hopes to win a prize at school for getting all good grades in conduct for the month, and Natalie chattered about her art class and sorta-boyfriend. Their father listened intently, asking questions, and paying careful attention to not favor Allie too much. Everything was great until Neal cleaned up the dishes and sat down in front of the girls, giving them a serious look. "We need to talk about last night."

Of course, they'd known the talk was coming, but they still felt butterflies in their tummies when Neal said it out loud. Allie frowned, remembering how much her bum had hurt after the last talk she'd had with her dad. "I already said sorry," she reminded him.

"I know, monkey, but you also know there are consequences when you don't follow the rules. I don't want to start off our weekend with a punishment, but also I think it's important to get it out of the way."

Natalie looked down at the floor, hoping that her dad would be angrier with Allie. Maybe the less she spoke, the more Allie would dig herself into a hole?

"I want you to tell me the truth," Neal said, eyeing each of the girls. "What happened?"

Together they told the story of the previous night's events, all about the water fight (which explained the abundance of empty plastic bottles strewn about in the kitchen), Allie asking for the "juice" and Natty giving it to her, and finally Natalie's attempts to stop her.

"I didn't know it'd make me sick," Allie finally said, lip quivering and tears brimming her puppy eyes in hopes it'd get her out of trouble.

"That's why I told you not to touch it, Alliecat," Neal said gently. "When I tell you not to do something, it's not because I want to be mean, it's because I'm trying to keep you safe."

"Well, how was I supposed to know? Peter says no all the time," the six-year-old countered, trying hard to change the subject. She didn't like being in trouble with her daddy.

"Peter's also trying to keep you safe, and you know it, Allie," he said firmly.

Allie made a sour face. "I don't think so."

Neal heaved a sigh, knowing he was fighting a never-ending battle, but wishfully tried a different approach anyway. "Both of you girls need to learn how to follow rules a little better - I understand it can be annoying and not fun, but until you're an adult, you have to trust that we're looking out for your best interest."

The preteen couldn't help but scoff at that remark. Even after their moment the night before, and Neal allowing her to have coffee, she just didn't buy that adults genuinely cared about them. Natalie's view on the world was that people are usually selfish and only use kids as a way to get what they want for themselves. Nothing Neal could say would change her mind.

Allie shook her head. "Mommy let us do what we wanted, and we had lots of fun!"

"And you saw where Mommy is now," Neal reminded. "That's what happens if you don't follow rules." He had mixed feelings about this conversation but knew it was in his girls' best interest to be more obedient than he'd been. Even if he was a proponent of free thinking and rule-bending, he didn't want to see his little ones end up in the same kind of trouble as he and Alex. So he expressed this to them both, then asked if they had anything to say for themselves about what they'd done wrong.

"I'm sorry," Allie said, and Natalie agreed. Then Allie frowned a little. "But I'm not going to jail like Mommy."

"Me either," Natalie promised. "We would be smart enough by then to not get caught."

Neal sighed. "That's not the point and you know it. I can't have you disobeying and breaking rules and putting yourselves in danger. You're both going to be punished and that's final."

"No, we're not!" Allie protested. "We're gonna forget about it and move on!"

She tried to get up and walk away, but Neal's words stopped her before she got far. "I guess we won't be able to do anything fun this weekend."

"But you said you had a surprise! What about the surprise?! And why can't we do anything fun!?"

Neal pulled the little girl closer to him, looking her in the eyes. "Allie, rule-breaking is not tolerated. You could've gotten hurt! What if you'd had more to drink and ended up in the hospital? What if when you dropped the bottle you'd gotten glass in your feet?" He looked at Natalie before she could interject. "And don't think I've forgotten about your late night adventure by yourself to Peter's house. If I remember correctly, it hasn't been very long since you were punished for going off on the subway alone with your sister." He looked back at Allie. "The way I see it, you have two options: accept the spanking as consequences, or no surprises and no fun for the weekend."

"But I like surprises," Allie whimpered as a couple of tears leaked out. She looked back at Natalie who was blushing, a little upset that Neal hadn't forgiven her for sneaking out.

When a few excruciatingly silent seconds passed, Neal asked, "Well? What's it going to be?" He wore a serious expression, body tense as he hoped the girls wouldn't make this any more difficult than it already was.

Natalie was the first to speak. "I guess a spanking is better than being grounded," she said, glancing in Allie's direction. "At least it'll be over sooner? And anyway, I have the feeling Peter would spank us anyway... maybe now he doesn't have to find out?" she hoped, eyebrows raised as she looked back at Neal now.

"It depends on your behavior the rest of the weekend," Neal replied. "But maybe I won't have to give him any details if you behave."

Allie tackled her dad in a hug, burying her face in his chest as her tiny frame shook from her sobs. She hated that her dad was mad at her, and hated having to choose between two equally bad punishments. If she picked a spanking her bum would hurt soooo much! But if not, she'd be stuck staying inside all day, bored out of her mind.

Neal's patting her on the back snapped Allie out of her thoughts. "What'll it be, Monkey? Your sister has already decided." He pulled her back for a moment so he could look in her eyes. "Afterwards, we'll go do something fun, promise."

Allie took a few shuddering breaths. "A...a...spanking," she choked out through the tears. "You're not gonna use the ruler, are you?" She peered at him through her bangs, chewing on her lower lip in worry.

"Unfortunately, little monkey, when you put yourself in danger like that, I will use the ruler."

More tears started streaming down Allie's face. "But I don't like the ruler Daddy! It hurts too much!" Her hands moved to cover her bottom.

"And it hurts me when you disobey important rules that almost get you badly hurt. And it also hurts when you steal my things."

"But I didn't steal it, Daddy! I promised I wouldn't steal again!"

Neal grabbed a hold of Allie's hands to help her calm down a little and pay attention to his words. "When you take something that isn't yours, without permission, even if Natalie gives it to you," he added, eyeing the oldest, "it counts as stealing. I specifically told you not to touch it because it was for adults only. Natalie shouldn't have given it to you but when she did, what should you have done?" He picked Allie up and sat her on his lap, eyes focused on hers to keep her attention.

"I shoulda not touched it? Or I shoulda made her put it back?"

"Exactly."

Allie nodded. "I can do that, I'll remember for next time."

He gave her a moment to let it sink in, then helped her over his lap, resting a hand on her pajama-clad bottom. "Why are you getting this spanking, Alliecat?" he asked, landing the first flurry of mild swats.

Allie yelped with each one like she always did. "I drank your adult juice! I'm sorry!" She squirmed some and kicked a little, hands threatening to reach back.

Neal's hand clapped against her bottom again and again, then moved to her sit spots for a minute before pausing briefly to say, "You have plenty of time to do adult things when you're grown-up. For now, it is your responsibility to listen to Peter, Elizabeth and me, okay?"

"Okay!" Allie cried, taking his stopping as an excuse to try and squirm off his lap. Before she had the chance, Neal had an arm around her waist and her colorful My Little Pony pajamas at her knees, then planted harder swats in the middle of her bottom.

"And no more taking things that aren't yours," he reminded her as her bottom turned a darker shade of pink and her kicks increased, causing her PJs to fall to her ankles.

"Owwww, please... Daddy!" she cried.

Natalie looked on, squirming herself as she didn't like seeing her sister in so much pain, but also because she knew she was next, and it wasn't going to be fun.

"No more! No more!" Allie was squealing when she threw her hand back to try and prevent the spanking from continuing.

Neal caught her wrist and said, "We're not finished yet." He tugged her panties down while holding her tight, then threw a leg over her kicks and began spanking her sit spots firmly. Her bottom bounced with each blow, and he could feel the warmth radiating from her backside when he stopped suddenly. "Natalie, bring me the wooden ruler from my desk," he ordered.

The preteen just stared at him, frozen in place.

"The ruler, Natalie," Neal prompted with a sterner voice.

"Nooooooo!" Allie wailed, trying to kick her legs and squirm away. "Daddy I'll be good! I'll be good!"

He gave a quick pop to Allie's reddened bottom and said, "Enough with the squirming." He looked back up to Natalie who shuffled over to his desk with dread.

"You don't really hafta use this," Natalie whined. If he used this ruler on her sister, he'd probably also use it on her, which she really didn't want to happen.

"Yes I do," Neal replied evenly. "You both could have been seriously hurt last night and I've had enough of you endangering yourselves."

As Natalie handed their dad the ruler, Allie bawled loudly, still trying to squirm free. "No! No! Noooo!"

Neal knew that the way to get through to the little girl wasn't by using more force, but rather comforting her, so he let go of her hands and rubbed her back. "We're almost finished Allie. Take a deep breath and calm down and it'll be over before you know it."

Allie did as told, relaxing a little when she realized he was giving her time to calm down. Her shaky breaths became more steady with each deep breath, and her panic subsided. Within seconds, her tense body finally allowed itself to lay limply over his lap. Though she still cried, she felt a little better and not as scared. He was her daddy… he wouldn't really hurt her.

When Neal noticed that his little monkey was calm enough for him to proceed, he reached for her hand again and lifted the ruler, popping it lightly on Allie's backside. He didn't spank hard, but gave stingy, quick blows, peppering her entire bottom. "Are you learning your lesson?" he wanted to know.

"Yesssssss!" Allie shrieked, squirming and kicking as best as she could, despite being locked into position.

He held onto her tightly, her cries tugging on his heartstrings. "Don't EVER do something like this again," he scolded.

"I'll be good!" Allie wailed. "I'll be good! Dad-dyyyy!"

He finally ended with a few solid swats to her sit spots, then placed the ruler on the table. "It's okay, Alliecat, it's all over now." She lay there crying, little body shaking with each heart-wrenching sob.

Neal eased her pajamas back up, then picked the little monkey up and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorryyyyyy!" she wailed as she buried herself into him.

He kissed the top of her head and rocked her gently, smoothing her hair before reminding her, "I love you Alliecat and I just want you to be safe."

"Love you, too, Daddy," Allie murmured.

Natalie looked on, wondering why she hadn't escaped while she'd had the chance. She really didn't want to be punished like her sister just had, even though she could kind of understand why their dad was upset. But that didn't ease her nerves any! And when Allie's tears finally subsided and Neal planted a wet kiss her forehead, Natalie's stomach tightened in anxiety. It was almost her turn.

He lifted Allie and said, "Okay little monkey, go get dressed and after I finish with Natty we'll go to the park."

"And we'll still get the other surprise?" Allie asked before jumping up from his lap.

Neal chuckled softly. "Yes, there's still a surprise coming."

The little girl hopped in excitement and scurried away, giving the oldest daughter and her dad some privacy, which Natalie wasn't too thrilled about. She was squirming in her seat as she eyed the ruler. Being older than her sister, a harsher punishment was probably in store and she was not looking forward to it one bit, especially since Allie's had been pretty hard. Lately, Natalie had gotten off fairly lightly with Peter, but she felt like Neal wouldn't be so easy to fool 'cause he didn't like her as much (which Natty still believed regardless of the moment they'd shared the night before).

"C'mon, Natty, let's get this over with."

She looked up at him, begging tears not to fall. Be brave, be brave, be brave, she pep talked herself and reluctantly eased towards her father.

"I won't have you running off, especially so late at night," Neal told her. "I don't want to lose you again Natalie. Once was bad enough."

"But last time it was you who ran off..." She chewed on her fingernail, hoping he wouldn't punish her more harshly for speaking her mind.

"And I learned my lesson the hard way," Neal replied. "Believe me it wasn't fun. I'm not running off anywhere without you again unless I have no choice or it's to keep you safe."

"Promise?" she asked, even though she wasn't totally sure she'd believe him anyway.

"I promise," Neal said firmly. "I'm not losing you again if I can help it "

Natalie smiled. "I'm sorry for leaving, and for getting the wine for Allie... I was just mad."

"I understand you were mad, but you can't do stuff like that," Neal told her. "It's dangerous and both of you could have ended up seriously hurt or in the hospital."

"I think I'll be fine just going to Peter's house. I'm not a baby like Allie." She glanced in the direction of the guest room where her sister was changing clothes, wondering if she was going to come in during the spanking. That would be awkward.

"I get that you're older but it's still not safe for you to be out alone at night," Neal stated. "Believe me, I've seen the shit that could happen, the creeps who could take advantage of you."

"Yeah, and I could kick their asses," Natalie said, smirking. Seeing the look on Neal's face made her straighten up again, though. "Sorry, I mean, okay, I'll do better."

"You better," Neal told her. "Or you'll keep ending up over someone's lap for spankings."

Natty subconsciously covered her bottom but didn't struggle as her dad pulled her forward, finally easing the bigger girl over his lap, and pulling down her PJs and panties. "What did you do wrong, Natalie?"

"Give Allie the wine and leave by myself.." she whimpered, trying to brace herself for the punishment.

When the first sharp smacks descended upon her bare bum, Natalie kicked a little, surprised that it was harder than she'd expected. Apparently, Peter had gone really easy on her the last couple of times she'd been spanked, or Neal was spanking harder than normal.

"How could you think it'd be a good idea to give alcohol to a six-year-old?" Neal asked as he landed hard smacks to the center of her bottom, working his way down to her sit spots and upper thighs.

"Owwwww... I dunno… I'm sorry!" Her legs kicked with each thwack! and she struggled to maintain her composure. "Nealllll! not so harddd," she begged. Natalie knew she was taking this spanking as bad if not worse than her little sister - he had to be spanking her harder though!

"It's as hard as it needs to be," Neal replied. He kept up the assault to her backside, turning her thighs a bright pink and not missing an inch of her bottom.

Natalie squirmed, not quite as much as her little sister, and covered her mouth with her hands so that she wouldn't cry out too loud. Her bottom was on fire, and he hadn't even picked up the ruler yet!

When he was satisfied with her bottom's shade of red, Neal paused the spanking. "I also don't want you taking off like that ever again, Natalie. If you do, I can promise the next spanking will be much worse." He picked the ruler up and rested it against her backside for a moment, then brought it down to the center of her bottom with a loud CRACK!

This time she couldn't help it and she squealed, reaching her hand back. "Please no!" she begged.

Neal took hold of her hand and moved it out of the way. "I will not have either of my girls doing something so dangerous," he stated as he landed the ruler to her sit spots.

"Owww!" she howled, trying to break her hand free from her father's grip, knowing it was useless.

Neal landed the third one to her upper thighs, then resumed spanking her whole bottom with the ruler. By this point, Natalie had given up on fighting and was sobbing hard, muttering apologies and promises to behave. Tears streamed down her cheeks, hair matted to her face. Her dad landed two last extra hard smacks - one to her sit spots and one to her upper thighs then tossed the ruler aside and released her hand.

The preteen just lay there limply sobbing, and it wasn't just because the spanking hurt. All the emotions she'd been trying to hide were finally surfacing. Sure, she'd gotten a good cry the night before, but it hadn't left her feeling so vulnerable and raw.

She didn't wait for him to help her up and did like Allie (again!). Natalie was much bigger than her baby sister, so her knees jabbed into Neal's thigh and kind of hurt a little (small price to pay), but then she threw her arms around his neck, still sobbing and apologizing and kind of happy to have her dad back, even if deep down she didn't trust he'd actually stay true to his word. Neal hugged her tightly, assuring her she was forgiven and that all was well again. He kissed the side of her head, so glad to have both his girls back.

When their father/daughter moment was over, Natalie scurried to the guest room, still rubbing her bum. Allie was laying on the bed coloring and looked up at her sister, happy that Daddy would finally be fun again and not mean!

"Let's not get Dad angry anymore this weekend," Natalie told her sister as she got dressed. "I prefer whatever he has planned over any more spankings."

"I'm gonna be super good," Allie replied. "I don't like when Daddy makes my bum hurt."

"Me either!"

When they were both dressed and ready they went back to the living room where Neal stood, hiding something behind him.

"What's that?" Natalie asked curiously.

"Is it our surprise?" Allie asked, trying to peek behind him to see what he was hiding.

Neal smiled and moved out of the way, revealing a wire cage with a white creature. The girls inched closer and Allie squealed with delight. "A bunny!"

He stopped the little girl before she reached inside. "Let me take him out for you," he said and grabbed the fluffy fellow for her. "Be gentle," he reminded, cradling the bunny in front of his girls.

The two girls brushed their new pet's fur, eyes and mouth wide with excitement. "What should we name him?" Natalie asked, though a little disappointed with the surprise since it was clearly more for Allie.

"How about... Trixie!" Allie squealed, giggling. "I can't wait to take him for show 'n tell! An' do magic… an' teach him tricks!"

After a moment, Neal asked the little girl, "Do you want to hold him?"

"OF COURSE!" she shouted, holding out her arms. Neal gently eased the pet down and Allie held Trixie close, almost squeezing the mess out of her.

He left her there for just a second as he reached inside the closet for the next surprise that Natalie totally wouldn't be expecting - the exact skateboard she'd begged Peter to get her. Before revealing her over $100 gift, he looked back at his oldest daughter, watching as she faked surprise over the rabbit. It was sweet that she tried, even if she was failing miserably.

"Natty," he said, prying her attention away from the new pet.

She glanced at her father, face brightening in real excitement when she saw the Deathwish Lizard King Death Toons skateboard, with its Oscar the Grouch artwork design, custom wheels and sparkly grip tape. "You got this for me?" she asked, rushing towards him.

"You've been doing a great job at school, and I want you to keep up the good work."

The preteen took her new skateboard in hand and tackled Neal in a hug. "Thanks…" she said. "For real. This means a lot... Dad." She blushed as the word fell from her mouth, but for once it felt appropriate.

"C'mon, let's go test it out at the park." He ruffled her hair and gathered Allie, and they left together, one big happy family.


	10. Allie & Natalie's Dude Ranch Mystery

_Spanking series, co-written with_ _ **LenniLuvsBrian**_ _, mostly M/f, mostly non-consensual_

 _ **A/N**_ _: This is an AU in which Neal and Alex have two daughters. Background is explained throughout the story._

 _ **Series Summary**_ _: 12-year-old Natalie is an independent and rebellious pre-teen, who has been taking care of her little sister, Allie (age 6). When their mom is arrested, the girls run away to find their father, only to end up in the care of an FBI agent and his wife instead._

 _ **Chapter 10 Summary**_ _: It's time for the family to take a vacation! Allie is excited to ride horses for the first time, and finally has the chance to bond with Peter. Natalie, as always, is enjoying being the best at everything, despite the envious glares she receives from her foster cousins. Will they manage to stay out of trouble?_

-x-x-x-x-

"Allie! It's my turn for the phone!" Natalie shouted, trying to snatch the electronic device from her sister's little fingers. The imp was too quick for her, though, addicted to the game. "C'mon give it back!"

"Natalie, you don't have to yell," said Peter. They'd taken a few days off and were headed upstate to spend Columbus Day weekend with Elizabeth's sister on her dude ranch, and though Peter was looking forward to horseback riding and canoeing, he was also a bit worried about the girls. They'd been on their best behavior the last few days, the threat of being left home keeping them in line. But Marcy's dude ranch was nothing compared to the lavish vacations they'd been on with Alex, so Peter had a nagging suspicion they'd get in trouble from boredom.

"I'm not done yet, Natty!" Allie exclaimed as she kept the phone away from her sister. "I'm still playing my game!"

"Allie, your sister was nice enough to let you use her phone, don't you think it's time you gave it back?" Elizabeth tried to reason, wishing she'd packed more activities to keep the youngest occupied.

"No!" Allie replied. "She had a long turn and my turn hasn't been long enough yet!"

Natalie growled and waved her hand in front of the screen to make her lose the game. "It's my turn now!"

"Natty! Stop it!" Allie shrieked as she tried to move the phone away. "You're being a meanie head!"

"Then give it ba-ack!"

"Girls," Peter warned. "That's enough fighting. Either you play nicely and compromise, or the phone will be ours."

"But that's not fair! It's _MY_ phone!"

"That you're currently sharing," Elizabeth reminded her. "Arguments get it taken away regardless of who the owner is."

Allie slapped Natalie's hands away. "Let me finish my game!"

Natalie punched the door on the car to keep from hitting her sister. "Fine, finish your stupid game but then I want it back," she grumbled. This trip was already off to a bad start and she was ready to go back home.

When Allie groaned at losing all of the lives on her game, Elizabeth instructed gently, "Give Natty back her phone now."

"But I wanna play again. I got nothing else to do."

"How about coloring a picture?"

The little girl sighed dramatically and handed the phone back to her sister. "Don't take too long. I wanna play again."

"It's _MY_ phone," Natalie reminded. The last couple of weeks she'd been practically glued to the electronic device, especially when Snapchatting with Justin. They'd spent almost every waking minute messaging each other since making their relationship official last week. Allie's hogging the phone made Natty have withdrawals!

While the preteen listened to music, sent silly pictures, and scrolled through instagram, Allie busied herself with drawing Elizabeth a picture, and it was entertaining enough to keep her occupied for nearly an hour. But then she finally reached for the phone again, tugging at Natalie's earphones. "My turn, Natty! You had it long 'nough!" she insisted. "I wanna play my game again!"

"Leave me alone, I'm busy." Natalie shouted back, pushing her sister away.

"Don't push me!" Allie screeched as she kept struggling with her sister. "You gotta share Natty!"

"Stop! It's my phone! Not yours!" She held the phone high away from her sister so she couldn't reach.

Peter glanced at her in the rear view mirror. "Natalie," he admonished. "Share with your sister please."

"But it's mine! It's not fair... I don't try to take away her toys!" When she realized Peter was serious and not budging, she changed the password to her lock screen and threw then phone at Allie. Even though she folded her arms with a huff, she was smirking on the inside as she knew Allie wouldn't actually be able to use it.

Seconds later, the little girl's screechy voice filled the car. "I can't get in! You broke it!" she howled as she repeatedly punched in Natalie's passcode, face reddening with frustration. "Natty make it work! Or… or… I'll hit you!" She raised a fist, ready to strike at any moment.

"You're the one who broke it!"

Before they could yell more, Elizabeth interrupted them. "Okay, that's it, hand it over. We warned you both twice already and since the fighting continues, the phone is mine until we get to the ranch."

"I didn't break it!" Allie argued. "It won't let me in!" she scowled as she passed the phone to her foster mom.

It only took Elizabeth a few seconds to figure out what the problem was. "That wasn't very nice, Natalie."

"Now what am I supposed to play with!?" Allie demanded

"Play with your colors and shit," Natalie sneered. She stared out the window, arms still folded. "Why do you always have to be such a brat."

Elizabeth turned around to face Natalie. "That's enough, Young Lady. I've warned you not to use that kind of language, especially around your sister."

"Is she gonna get the spoon and soap?" Allie wanted to know. "That what I get for using bad words."

"She will if it happens again. This is your warning, Natalie."

Natalie rolled her eyes and sneered "shut up!" at Allie.

"Quit being mean to me!" Allie exclaimed as she glared at her big sister. "You're making me angry!"

"Now enough with the fighting, both of you." Elizabeth turned up the radio a bit and put a hand on Peter's arm, smiling at him.

"I hope the whole trip isn't like this," Peter admitted.

El nodded. "Meee too."

The girls were silent for a while, glancing out at the scenery as Peter's car turned down the winding roads through the Catskills Mountains. Tree limbs loomed over them, red and yellow leaves tumbling to the windshield. The smell of burning wood drifted through the crisp morning air, alerting them all that autumn was really here.

When Natalie grew bored of looking out the window, she dug out the paperback novel she had to read for English class and lost herself in the story for a while. Allie busied herself with coloring a new picture, but eventually felt like doing something else, so started poking her sister. "Play a game with me Natty!'

"No," Natalie said, not looking up from the book she was reading, still angry with the brat.

But Allie kept poking her, determined to get her big sister's attention. "Yes! You never play with me anymore! It's time to play!"

Natalie smacked her. "Leave me alone! I said I don't wanna play!"

Allie's eyes filled with tears. "OW!" she cried, swatting her sister back angrily. "Don't hit me Natty!"

Within seconds they were both hitting each other and yelling. Peter and Elizabeth tried to tell them to stop, but of course neither of the girls listened until their foster dad pulled the car over and pried them apart.

Allie was crying. "I just wanted you to play with me!" she shouted. "You didn't hafta hit me!"

"Well you're the one who got my phone taken away!" Natalie shouted back.

"You're the one who wouldn't share!" Allie retorted angrily. "You're being a witch!"

"Because it's MY phone!" She raised a hand to smack Allie again but Peter caught it before she attacked.

"That's it," he said. "You're both getting a spanking."

"No!" Allie shrieked. "I don't want a spanking! I'll be good!" Her eyes filled with tears.

Peter sighed. "We have told you both over and over to stop with the fighting. We have another hour and a half left in the car, I expect you both to behave because if I have to pull this car over again, it will be to bare both of your bottoms for a good spanking. Do you understand?" he asked firmly to Natalie first.

"Yes," she muttered.

Then to Allie, "Do you understand?"

Allie nodded as she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. "Yes," she answered softly.

"Can you please tell Allie to leave me alone? I don't feel like playing."

Peter peered at the littlest. "Please give your sister some space for a little while. Why don't you draw a picture for Neal?"

"Ughhh but I've been coloring all day!" Allie sighed, but seeing the look on Peter's face added, "I'll try."

Coloring lasted all of half an hour, then the six year old poked her sister again. "Natty? Will you read to me? Nat-tyyyy! Nat-tyyyy! Read me a story now!"

Natalie put her fingers in her ears to ignore her little sister.

"Natty read to me!" Allie insisted. "I can't read my book! Please read to me!" She tried to yank her sister's finger from her ear. "Natty!"

"I'm busy!" Natalie said, pushing Allie's hand away to continue holding her ears.

But Allie kept tugging on her sister's hand. "Natty! I wanna read too!"

Elizabeth sighed, deciding to intervene one last time before someone lost her temper. "Alliecat why don't you finish your picture?"

"I want a story!" Allie insisted tugging harder. "NATTY!"

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" Natalie bellowed then shoved Allie hard, knocking her into the door.

"That's it," Peter said, then took the next exit off the highway to a rest stop.

Allie started to cry, not just because hitting the door had hurt, but also because she wanted her sister's attention for once. Ever since Natalie had gotten a phone and boyfriend she hadn't spent much time with her at all. "I hate you!" Allie shrieked, grabbing her book and smacking her sister with it. She'd had enough. "I hope your stupid phone broke!"

"Yeah well I hope your picture for Dad gets ripped up like this!" Natalie answered, shredding one of Allie's drawings into tiny little pieces. She knew they were in trouble already, but didn't care.

Peter parked the car at the far end of the parking lot then stepped outside. "Get out, both of you," he ordered.

"Hon..." Elizabeth said. "Is this really a good idea?"

But Peter was tired of the fighting. This was supposed to be their vacation. Everyone's supposed to get along on vacation! "We warned both of you what would happen if this behavior continued. Allie, your sister asked nicely for you to leave her alone. I know you want her to play but we can't make her do something she doesn't want to."

Allie frowned. "She used to play with me," she whimpered. "I just wanted a story..." She looked down at the ground still crying. Her sister's words and actions hurt.

"Why would I wanna play with you since you got my phone taken away," Natalie sneered at her little sister. She opened her mouth to say more, but Peter was fed up and instead planted two hard swats to her bottom. "Ow! Peter! We're in public!" she reminded him.

"And there's plenty more where that came from. I'm tired of this unnecessary bickering. Your sister is just a kid, and she misses you. You don't have to play with her, but you have to figure out a better way to deal with her than fighting."

Natalie poked her lower lip out in a pout, arms folded. She glanced at Elizabeth to see if at least one person would be on her side.

"Don't look at me - you changed your passcode and ripped up your sister's picture, so deserve this punishment just as much as she does," Elizabeth reminded.

"I should've known you'd both take her side. Allie's always everyone's favorite."

Peter took a deep breath in to help maintain patience. "We don't favor either of you, and you know it. There's nothing wrong with taking responsibility and admitting that you could've reacted a different way." He paused to let the message sink in for a moment, then ordered, "Come on, both of you, pants and panties down."

The six year old was still crying and upset, but quickly slid her pants and panties to her knees and stood there half naked, too young to feel shy. She was more concerned with getting this over with as quickly as possible, which was the total opposite of her big sister who whined, "This is totally unfair!"

Tired of her attitude, Peter landed two more hard swats to her bottom causing a yelp to escape as her hands flew back to protect her bottom. It was then that it clicked. _Peter's really gonna do this... No way… this can't be happening… What if someone sees!?_

"Get them down, NOW," he said firmly.

When she started wiggling them down, he took Allie by the upper arm and gave her a few mild swats to her bare bottom. "You. And. Your. Sister. Will. Stop. Fighting," he said, punctuating each word with a swat. "No more bugging your sister to play when she doesn't want to, no more yelling, no more fighting. Am I clear?"

Allie wailed as she tried to squirm away. "Yesssss! I'll be good!"

He held tight onto her and finished with a few smacks on the sit spots, then let go. Allie was crying hard and stood there with tears streaming down her face until Elizabeth helped her re-adjust her clothing, and scooped her up in a hug.

Peter peered at his oldest who stood there now with jeans and panties mid-thigh, chewing on her fingernail. Thankfully, her fighting had ceased - he wouldn't want to make a bigger scene than he already was. Taking her upper arm in hand, he turned her around and landed brisk swats to her pale backside.

"Oww, oww, owwww!" Natalie howled with each thunderous blow. She wanted to keep herself as quiet as possible, but Peter wasn't going easy on her at all. The spanking hurt much more than she'd imagined!

"No. More. Fighting. Yelling. Hitting. Or shoving." Peter lectured between smacks, Natalie's pale bottom rapidly fading to pink.

She hopped from foot to foot with each swat, bum wiggling to try and dodge some of the swats. "Okay okay!" she promised, tears starting to stream down her face. "I'll be good!"

Peter smacked her sit spots a few times to drive the lesson home, causing her to shriek and bounce even more. "I better not need to pull this car over again before we arrive to the ranch," he warned, finishing off with a hard SWAT! in the center of her bottom.

The crying preteen promised to be good then yanked her pants back up and flew back in the car, too embarrassed to show her face anywhere. In the meantime, the rest of the family went on a bathroom break, Elizabeth coming back with a bag of candy for each of the girls. Peter gave her an incredulous look, but she just smiled sheepishly and shrugged. The girls had taken their spankings without too much complaint and what was a road trip without candy?

Their last hour in the car was peaceful and uneventful. Allie sang Barney songs until she fell asleep, candy bag clutched tightly in her little hand, and Natalie just read her book, squirming every once in awhile because her bottom was still sore. By the time Peter pulled into the dirt parking lot of the ranch, his satisfaction with their change in behavior was such that he had almost convinced himself that the drama was behind them and they'd have a perfect vacation.

"Where are we staying?" Allie asked when they had their luggage in hand, sauntering towards the main building of the ranch. Elizabeth pointed to a group of small log cabins huddled together in a corner by the lake, and the little girl's eyes widened in awe. "It's so pretty!" she said.

The ranch was much bigger than the girls had expected, and the aroma of a home-cooked country meal made their tummies growl. In the distance they could see a dock full of canoes, as well as a ropes course, which is what excited Natalie the most. They'd never been any place like this with Alex, who preferred luxurious hotels and room service, not outdoors and adventure. Maybe this vacation wouldn't be so bad?

The sound of neighing horses echoed to Allie's ears, and she cast eyes on the brown and white creatures to her left. "Horsies!" she shrieked and immediately took off in that direction.

Peter stopped her. "Hold on, kiddo. No going to the horses without an adult, okay?" But he took her hand anyway and led her to the stable.

"She's so pretty! Can I ride her?" Allie asked eagerly, her eyes shining with excitement as Peter lifted her to feed one a sugar cube. "I wanna riiiiiide!"

"Of course we can ride," Peter answered, eyes lighting up - this was the first time he and Allie shared a passion. "What do you say Natty?"

"I just want my phone back," Natalie reminded. "And a nap."

Elizabeth butted in. "Why don't you two stay with the horses, and Natalie and I will get settled in the cabin." She knew they'd never be able to pry Allie away, and Peter looked giddy at the prospect of bonding with the youngest.

"Really?! I can ride the horsey?!" Allie asked, eyes wide as saucers.

Peter nodded. "But only if I'm with you, got it?" he added, then thanked his wife and ruffled Natalie's hair. "And you get some rest so you'll cheer up. I think they're going to have a campfire and s'mores tonight, you wouldn't want to miss it!"

"Oh joy!" Natalie said, voice dripping with sarcasm even though she tried to smile for him.

Allie squealed a little which made the horse in front of them snort. She giggled and kissed her on the nose. "We're gonna be best friends, horsey!"

Elizabeth helped Natalie get their things into the cabin. "Look I know this isn't like any of the vacations you've been on before, but I hope you give it a chance. You could have a lot of fun here if you quit worrying about your phone and the people back home." She glanced at the preteen who said nothing, just found a bed for herself and curled up.

When Natty thought about it, she realized that she wasn't upset with Peter or Elizabeth, or even Allie; she really just missed her old life, and her mom, and the autonomy. Living by the rules was so boring. Her mind wandered to dreams of living an extravagant criminal life. No rules, no masters, just money and expensive art. Within minutes she drifted off into a peaceful sleep...

-x-x-x-x-

The sisters saw each other again at dinner that night, and each was just as excited as the other. Natalie had waken in a much better mood, and convinced Elizabeth to let her wander off alone with her new cousins. She sat next to Allie with her plate of food and a wide grin. "How was your ride?" the preteen asked.

"It was awesome!" Allie exclaimed, excitement in her voice. "We went on a trail and saw trees and a waterfall! I can't wait to go again! Peter knows how to have fun!"

Natty glanced up at her foster dad who looked pleased with the little girl's words. It was the first time anyone had described Peter as fun! "I met all of our cousins," Natty said, taking a bite of her mashed potatoes.

"Are there any kids my age?" Allie asked.

Natty shook her head. "I don't think so," she said, looking up at Elizabeth who agreed. "There's Vicki, she's ten and follows all the big kids around, so you'd have a lot in common with her. And then Anna's thirteen and Suzie's sixteen. And I also met Andi… she's Anna's BFF and her brothers work here." She would've continued, but they were interrupted by a plump red haired woman wearing an apron.

"There's my baby sister! The girls told me they saw you," the woman chirped, leaning in for a hug and to whisper, "are you sure it's a good idea to let your little jailbirds wander off on their own?"

Peter didn't hear his sister-in-law's exact words, but knew her judgmental nature, and felt Elizabeth wince at his side. "Girls, this is your Aunt Marcy," he introduced to release the tension. "Marcy, I'd like you to meet Allie, our animal lover - we went out for a ride on Starlight earlier and she's a natural! And this is Natalie, the artist of the family. She's about to win the Young Artists' Competition," he said, grinning at each of the girls with pride as he shared their accomplishments.

"Well isn't that lovely," Aunt Marcy said. "It's very nice to meet you girls. Call if you need anything - otherwise, I'll see y'all later!"

When they finished the meal, the sun was setting and everyone went out to the campfire for s'mores and campy songs, some of the older kids sitting off to the side telling ghost stories.

"Allie, you're too little to listen," Natalie said when the little girl came over to join them.

"Ohh let her stay," Andi piped. "She can listen to the scary stories, too, right little one?"

"Scooby-Doo has scary stories," Allie answered. "I can listen to ghost stories, Natty. I like stories." She really just wanted to hang out with her sister and feel older. And she'd been around grown ups all day… they were starting to get boring!

Natalie scooted over to give her little sister space, and the little girl leaned in to listen, excited to join in on the fun. She didn't realize the older girls knew stories that were much scarier than Scooby-Doo, and before the first was even finished, Allie ran back to her foster parents, climbing into Peter's lap because he would be best at protecting her from monsters. She stayed like that until dozing off, snuggling up when he carried her inside a few minutes later, motioning for Natalie that it was time to come in for the night. The preteen wanted to protest, but then her new friends were going in, too, so it didn't matter as much.

As Peter was tucking in the little monkey, Natty sat with Elizabeth in the living room, chattering on and on about how much fun she'd had. "Thanks, El, for bringing us here. It's really cool! And maybe I'll try riding the horses with you guys in the morning."

"That would be wonderful!" Elizabeth enthused. "I'm glad you're having fun."

Natalie was excited when she was allowed to have her phone back, but then disappointed that there was no reception.

"Maybe we'll go into town one day," El promised.

But Natty shrugged. She probably wasn't missing anything anyway, just a few messages from Justin, and he could wait. Instead of stressing, she played candy crush until her yawns became too frequent and she excused herself to bed. She snuggled next to Allie, half excited, half nervous about their sunrise horse ride.

 **-x-x-x-x-**

"Horseys, horseys, horseys!" Allie shrieked, running through the cabin. "Come onnnn, Natty, wake up!"

The twelve year old groaned, regretting already that she'd agreed to this.

Allie jumped on her sister when she didn't move fast enough. "Natty! The horseys are waiting for us! It's gonna be lots of fun! Come on! Get up! Get up!"

Dragging herself out of bed, Natalie tried to be as excited as her little sister. She splashed cold water on her face and dressed, noticing for once that she and Elizabeth felt the same way while Peter and Allie were the giddy ones. It was kind of strange, but she took this opportunity to bond with El.

"Is everyone ready?" Peter asked, barely waiting for a response when he grabbed Allie's hand and they scurried out the door.

Elizabeth smiled softly at Natalie. "Have you ever been on a horse?"

Natalie shook her head, finally admitting, "I'm kinda scared. They won't bite, right?"

"Come on, slow pokes!" Peter called from ahead. He'd arrived to the stables already and was putting the helmet on Allie, then saddled up Starlight. "Natalie do you prefer to ride alone or with El?"

The preteen really didn't like the idea of riding alone, but also feared one of her new friends would see her with El and think she was uncool. "I'll ride alone..."

Elizabeth helped Natalie get a helmet on and whispered to her. "Your horse, Brownie, will only nibble your fingers if you're feeding her. I'll stay close to you, so don't worry so much, okay?"

Allie was standing next to Starlight waiting to be lifted up. "Come on Peter! I need to be on my horsey!"

"Just a minute," he promised. First, he wanted to get Natalie and El set up, showing the preteen how to steer. "Be careful not to squeeze too tight," he warned when he noticed her stiff body. "When you squeeze your legs, they think you want to go faster. Just relax."

Natalie was starting to have second thoughts about this, but she was already on top of the brown mare and didn't want to look like a wimp, so tried to suck it up.

Much to Allie's delight, Peter finally hoisted her onto Starlight, then climbed up behind her. "Are you going to steer us this time?"

"Yeah!" Allie enthused, excited to be given such a big job.

Elizabeth smiled at Natalie hoping to reassure her. "The horse will follow the others. Just relax and move with the horse as you ride."

Natalie nodded and stayed behind Peter and Allie, Elizabeth taking up the back. The horses trotted at a steady pace and Natalie finally felt herself getting the hang of it, even though her horse, Brownie, kept wanting to jog a little faster.

Once they reached the top of the mountain, the sun was peeking up from the horizon.

"Oooh! Pretty!" Allie exclaimed as she tugged on the reins to stop Starlight so they could watch. "Look Peter! It's all my favorite colours!"

Elizabeth pulled her horse up beside Natalie's to take in the view.

"She's not stopping," Natalie whined, voice becoming high pitched as she was getting a little scared the horse would walk right off the edge of the mountain! El instructed her again how to stop and it was successful enough that Natalie was able to calmly appreciate the view for a moment.

When the sun's rays lit up the entire forest, they decided it was time to get back to the ranch, as there were plenty of fun-filled activities planned for the day - canoeing, volleyball, indoor swimming, a scavenger hunt, and even another horse ride down a different path!

"I wanna go faster!" Allie insisted as they trotted downhill. "Starlight wants to fly!"

Peter looked behind him to give El the heads up that he was going to go a little faster with Allie, and they ran ahead, which sent Natalie's horse into a frenzy.

"Wait! Guys! What do I do!" Natalie shrieked. Brownie had started running, too, a little too fast, and the preteen hung on tightly with her legs until the horse was going even faster than Starlight! "Helllllp!" she wailed.

"Hang on, Natty! I'm coming!" El called.

But by the time her foster mom made it, Natalie was already leaning to the side, tears streaming down her face, about to fall off. Elizabeth encouraged her to get back straight on the horse, but Brownie was making her bounce so much that eventually she just let go and jumped to the side, careful that she wouldn't get run over.

Elizabeth pulled her horse to a stop, hopped down, and ran to Natalie. "Natty! Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

"Yeah I'm fine but... I hate stupid horses!" she half-shouted. She stood and dusted herself off. "I'll just walk back."

"I'll go with you," Elizabeth told her. "Or we could ride back on my horse together."

"I'd rather go alone," Natty demanded.

Meanwhile, Peter raced to catch up with Brownie, and Allie squealed with delight as they were going faster than she'd expected! When he was finally able to slow both horses down, the little girl yelled, "Again! Again! Let's go again Peter!"

When he came back to El, Natty was long gone, and they had to figure out how they'd get the spare horse back. It was only a short ride, and Allie was a natural at riding/steering Starlight, so Peter came up with an idea.

"What about riding Starlight by yourself? Are you up for the challenge?" He was a little hesitant since Natty's experience had ended so badly, but Natalie had also been so scared the fear had seeped into Brownie. Allie was the least scared of them all, and clearly a natural.

Allie's grin was huge. "I can do it!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I'm a good horsey rider!"

"Okay, but remember, you can only do this when El or I are with you, okay?" He held out a pinky. "Promise?"

Allie giggled a little as she hooked her small pinky with his larger one. "Promise!"

The three of them rode back carefully to the stables, Natalie trudging ahead angrily, as far from her family as possible. When they arrived, she immediately disappeared towards the cabin while the others fed and brushed their horses. Natty wanted nothing to do with those damn horses anymore!

Andi and Anna were the first to see her. "Why're you so dirty?" they wanted to know.

Natalie huffed, "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Guys c'mon, let's go swimming already!" Vicki said as she approached them.

"Wanna come with? The pool is heated and the lifeguard is dreamy," Anna said as she giggled.

Natty smiled. "Sure! Let me get changed!" At least there could still be some fun left in the day!

Once she was changed into her red and white striped swimsuit, Natalie rejoined her cousins and they headed to the pool, chatting happily as they walked.

"I want Steve to do mouth-to-mouth on me," Anna explained. "Have you kissed a boy before?"

"Yeah, I have a boyfriend," Natalie said.

"Wooooow!" Vicki gushed. "She already has a boyfriend!"

"Shut up," Anna told her little sister. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Sure it is!" Vicki insisted.

Natalie tried not to blush but smiled at them. "It is nice. We text all the time."

"Too bad there's no reception here," Andi said.

"But there is up past the stables - if you go over the hill by the country store," Vicki told Natalie.

The girls arrived to the swimming pool, drooling over the shirtless teenager with blonde hair that fell over his eyes.

"Ooh he is cute," Natty admitted.

"Too bad you already have a boyfriend, right?" Anna said with a giggle.

Natalie laughed along with them as they set their towels on a group of chairs and slipped into the pool. The three of them splashed and swam and giggled for awhile, before they started talking about the lifeguard again.

Vicki was the only one brave enough to talk to him, and that only lasted until Suzie came to the pool to join them. Then the ten year old meekly went back to splashing around with her friends. When they'd been swimming for a while and their fingers were all pruny, they decided to sit on the side, talking and giggling. That's when the blonde hottie approached the group of girls.

"Hey, I'm Steve... who're you?" he asked Natalie.

The twelve year old blushed a little and told him her name, showing off her charm and batting her eyelashes to show off her baby blue eyes. It wouldn't hurt her boyfriend that she was a little flirtatious!

Steve talked with her for a little bit and acknowledged the other girls as well.

Once he had left, Vicki spoke up. "Is that how you get a boyfriend? By batting your eyes at someone?"

Natalie blushed deeper. "What are you talking about?" she asked innocently.

Anna and Andi giggled together. "Are you sure you have a boyfriend back home?"

"Yes I'm sure," Natalie replied defensively.

"You were batting your eyes at him," Vicki said

"Shut up," Andi told Vicki. "She's allowed to flirt." The friend-cousin smiled at Natalie. "You'll have to teach me to flirt like that. You're a pro!"

Natalie shrugged. "I didn't really do that much." She felt a little awkward but at the same time kind of popular with all the questions and praise. It was a strange feeling really. "So are there any other hotties around here?" she asked after a moment. Maybe a distraction would take the spotlight off her.

"Andi's brother is cute," Anna giggled.

"Ewwwww Johnny? He's so ugly!" Vicki squealed.

"No, Dale," Anna said with a dreamy look on her face.

"Ooh yeah, he is cute."

"Gross!" Andi said. "He's so old!"

"You just think that because he's your brother," Anna insisted. "Anyway let's go get food. I'm starving."

The girls rinsed off in the shower and wrapped up in beach towels, heading to the dining room. Peter, El, and Allie had come back, so Natalie decided to sit with them for a while. "So what'd you guys do?" she asked.

"We went on a scavenger hunt!" Allie told her happily. "An' we fed the horseys! An' I won a prize! I got a new jump rope!" she added. "An' some horsey books!"

"Sounds fun!" Natty said, kind of missing her little sister. She looked at Peter and El. "Some of the girls are going to the ropes course later... can I go, too?"

"Of course," Elizabeth smiled. "I'm glad you're getting along with them."

"I wanna go! I wanna go!" Allie insisted. She had been eyeing the rope course and wondered if she was big enough for it.

"You're too little," Natalie insisted then turned to Peter and El for confirmation.

"Sorry, kiddo, she's right. But I think you and I are going riding again - what do ya think?"

"Yeah!" Allie cheered, easily distracted by the thought of riding Starlight again. "I like that idea lots!"

Elizabeth laughed, glad that crisis had been avoided so easily. "I don't know who is going to be harder to tear away from here when it's time to leave."

 **-x-x-x-x-**

Natalie was the youngest at the ropes course, and also the most fearless. She easily climbed up the obstacles, all the way up to the highest level, which even Steve and Suzie didn't reach. When they finished, Steve was all over Natalie, even after Anna reminded him that she wasn't even a teenager yet.

They all ate dinner together, and the preteen was starting to feel everyone's jealousy and admiration. It didn't stop when they went to the campfire again. This time Natalie told the scariest stories, enough to make even Vicki hang out with the adults.

When the sisters snuggled together in bed that night, Natalie had a lot on her mind. "Hey Allie, is this more fun than the vacations we used to have with mom?" Usually when they'd traveled with Alex they'd have to stay alone most of the time, only sneaking out of their rooms to explore the lavish hotels, usually ending up in trouble for stealing or going places they weren't allowed. Natalie much preferred this vacation, but felt ashamed to admit it. Would that mean disloyalty towards her mom?

"I liked Mommy's vacations," Allie answered softly with a yawn. "But Mommy never let me ride a horsey. And Mommy didn't take me on a scavenger hunt or to make s'mores. And Lizbeth said we can go to the candy store tomorrow! I like this vacation lots more Natty."

"I like it more, too," Natalie said. The two snuggled up together and within seconds dozed off, so exhausted from all the fun they'd been having.

-x-x-x-x-

The next morning, Peter shook Allie gently to wake her up to go for their sunrise ride again. He'd decided to take a different trail so they could see a different part of the woods and Allie could practice riding alone. "C'mon, kiddo, let's go," he said.

He didn't have to tell her twice! Allie literally jumped out of bed, dancing with excitement. Riding horses was probably the coolest thing she'd ever done in her life... and she enjoyed the chats with her foster dad, too. Within seconds, she was dressed and bolted to Peter, who stood in the living room waiting for her. "Ready!" she announced.

While they rode around, Natalie and El met up with the family, eventually going their separate ways. Today Natalie was going canoeing with her cousins, and she was excited to once more show off her skills and be the center of attention.

"Oh look here comes the star," Anna teased when she spotted Natalie. "I bet she'll win the race today."

"And she'll get all the attention again," Vicki grumbled softly.

"Guys, stop being mean to the flirty girl," Andi giggled, fluffing Natalie's pony tail. "Are you going to ride with Steve?"

"I dunno," Natty answered. "I'm up for whatever."

"Well let's get our life jackets and canoes," Anna said. "We'll figure it out then."

They arrived to the docks and met up with the older kids, as well as a few adults, including Andi's older brother, Dale. Teams had been pre-picked, supposedly according to age and ability, to make the race as fair as possible. Of course, Natty had been paired with Steve. She gave a shy giggle when he handed her a paddle and the two of them hopped inside the canoe.

"Ready... Set... GO!" Dale shouted and the 4 canoes set off. Natalie paddled as quickly as possible, giving instructions to Steve to help her maneuver first in front of Vicki and Johnny, then easily cut off Suzie and Andi. They were neck and neck with Anna and her partner, Thomas, for a few minutes.

"Come on! Faster!" Natalie ordered.

Steve paddled as hard and fast as he could and soon he and Natalie had arrived to the island, AKA the finish line, ahead of everyone else. They cheered as they hopped onto the sand, jumping up and down with excitement before collapsing to the ground, exhausted. Anna and Thomas arrived next, then the others came up, muttering obscenities under their breath. How the hell had the city girl learned how to row so well?!

Going to the island was the perfect excuse for the youngsters to do things that adults wouldn't let them do at the ranch, so Suzie pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered them to the others, even Vicki. Natalie was a little surprised and unsure what to say when she was offered one. _Will Peter smell it on me when we get back? Will he know I've done something I shouldn't?_ But then her thoughts changed to - _will I look uncool if I say no? Will they not be my friend anymore?_

When Andi declined, Natalie felt better about saying no herself, and then watched as the sisters and Johnny lit up. She leaned back so that the smokey smell wouldn't latch onto her shirt, then they played twenty questions.

"Those aren't your parents, right?" Andi asked Natty when it was her turn, remembering that she'd met Peter and El before. "Who are your real parents?"

Natalie groaned. She didn't want to get deep into the topic, but seven sets of curious eyes looked at her. So she gave the quick version of her story, hoping it didn't make them judge her negatively. She didn't usually get that personal with people, but this was family. Family was supposed to accept you no matter what, right? That's what Peter said anyway.

They all listened intently and were surprised about who her parents actually were. They hadn't expected her to be related to thieves and con artists. "So have you carried on the family tradition?" Suzi wanted to know. "Do you trick people and steal things too? Do you get away with it?"

"Hey! Only one question at a time!" Vicki whined.

"I plead the fifth anyway," Natty said, laughing.

"Your foster dad is a fed though, right?" Andi asked, ignoring Vicki's groan.

"Yeah, Uncle Peter is fierce," Anna said. "That must make it harder for you to get away with stuff."

Natalie shrugged. "Sometimes. It depends on whether or not Allie knows and squeals."

They kept up with this game for a while, smoking almost the entire pack of cigarettes before deciding that it was time to go back to the ranch. This time, Natalie rode with Andi and they paddled slower, getting lost for a few minutes in the lake and just enjoying the sounds of nature. "You must really miss your boyfriend. Have you talked to him at all?" Andi asked.

Natalie shook her head. "No. Maybe that's what I'll do when I get back. El was going to take Allie into town to the candy store, but I probably missed it since I was on the island."

When they reached land, Andi pointed Natalie in the direction to where she could find cell phone reception and the two girls parted ways, promising to see each other in a few hours.

 **-x-x-x-x-**

"Did you get to talk to your boyfriend? What's his name?" Andi asked as Natalie came in for dinner, sitting next to the group of girls.

"Justin, and yes. We even FaceTimed for a minute. It was nice!"

"Do you have a picture of him?" Vicki asked though she had a mouth full of mashed potatoes that looked disgusting.

Allie, Peter, and El came into the dining area just then, the little girl running up to her sister.

Natalie was opening her photos and passed the phone to Vicki. "That's him," she said, scooping Allie up in her lap and asking about her day.

"I rode the horsey by myself again!" Allie enthused. "It was so great! I love Starlight! And we went to the candy store and I got lots of candy!"

"Didja bring me anything?" Natalie asked, glancing up to see Aunt Marcy with Dale, and they were talking to Peter and El with serious looks on their faces. The adults appeared to be talking about her, judging by the way they peeked in her direction yet avoided eye contact.

"Uh-huh!" Allie nodded. "I got you tons of candy too so you won't take mine. I made Lizbeth and Peter get their own too 'cause Peter kept eating mine!"

"Did you bring us candy, too?" Vicki asked, passing the phone to Anna and Andi, curious to know more about the little kid. Was she as cool and popular as Natalie?

Allie nodded slightly. "Lizbeth said we should to be nice. I got you little bags 'cause I don't know you well 'nough to get you big bags."

Vicki's eyes widened. "Really!?" She bounced in her seat looking at Anna who glared in annoyance. Was there anything imperfect about this family?

Allie nodded. "Uh-huh. Lizbeth has them so I wouldn't accidentally eat them and spoil my appetite!"

Andi handed Natalie's phone back to her just as Peter came up. "Natalie, a word, please," he said in an even tone. His brows furrowed as if he were upset about something, but Natalie hadn't done anything wrong so she couldn't imagine what it was. Maybe Aunt Marcy found out about the cigarettes? But she couldn't tell on her new friends.

"See you guys later," she said and followed Peter.

They walked together to where Marcy, Dale, and Elizabeth stood waiting. Peter turned and looked at the preteen. "Where were you this afternoon?"

"We went canoeing this morning then I went to FaceTime with Justin... I had to find reception... why do you ask?"

"Because someone let the horses out earlier and all evidence leads to you," Peter replied.

Elizabeth butted into the conversation. "Do you have proof you were talking to 'Justin'?"

"Of course I do!" Natalie said, getting a little defensive now. Someone let out all the horses? How did the evidence lead to her? What were they talking about? She typed in her password and went to her FaceTime history. "What the... it's been deleted!" She frantically went to her text messages to get the messages she'd sent with Justin, but they, too, had been deleted. She glanced up at her foster dad, speechless.

"Well? We're waiting," Peter said.

The preteen looked up from her phone, feeling defeated and confused. "I did but..."

Peter narrowed his eyes. "A piece from one if your shirts was found at the scene of the crime, care to explain?"

"Someone must have framed me!" Natalie shrieked. "I swear I didn't do anything bad!"

Elizabeth butted in. "Sweetheart, isn't that what you said about the bomb threat? And we saw you on the security camera tapes. You need to come clean before this escalates."

Natalie looked up at the two furious faces staring at her, then glanced over at Aunt Marcy and Dale, both also scowling. "I'm innocent, I swear."

"We saw you on the tape," Aunt Marcy said, shaking her head. "I knew this was a bad idea, letting her wander alone."

"You have to believe me," Natalie pleaded, casting eyes at Peter. "Someone's trying to get me in trouble!"

"Then please explain all of these clues," Elizabeth said, getting frustrated.

Peter butted in, "You're wearing different clothes now than you were earlier, why is that?"

"I was exploring and got dirt and grass on my clothes," Natalie insisted. "I want to see this mysterious video that supposedly shows me letting the horses out."

El stayed with Allie in the dining area while Peter took Natalie with him to retrieve the memory stick with video footage and the torn piece of clothing. He sat her down in the cabin in front of the laptop and showed her the video. There she was in black and white, looking behind her as she trekked towards the stable. Then it was just still footage of the property, until finally horses came running out.

"What the…" she began, then looked up at her foster dad. "I know it doesn't add up but you have to believe me."

"I want to, but all the evidence points to you and everyone else has an alibi. And your history of being honest isn't strong."

Salty tears poured down Natalie's cheeks. Maybe it was reasonable that he didn't believe her, but that didn't help her feel any less angry. "Peter," she pleaded. "We can figure out who did this. At least let me find proof first!"

Peter mulled it over for a few minutes. "We can investigate further but if no proof is found you'll have to accept the consequences."

Natalie nodded, determined to find something to affirm her innocence. They walked together to the stables, checking around for clues. Natalie ran her fingers over the gate where the piece of her shirt had been found. But really, she wasn't paying too much attention to her surroundings. Instead she was lost deep in thought, trying to figure out who would have framed her.

It had to be one of the cousins - the first suspect on her list was Vicki - would she be creative enough to think about stealing Natty's shirt? Maybe. She was the one who had her phone last, though. And was mad at Natalie for hogging Steve's attention.

But what if it was Anna instead? Anna had been pretty mean to Natalie the whole time, teasing her for flirting and always getting angry when Natalie beat her at something. Anna had claimed to have gone fishing with Suzie and Johnny after their time on the island, but they could be in this all together, as three minds are better than one. Were they all plotting against Natalie?

Peter said something to snap Natty out of her thoughts. "Huh?" she asked, blinking at him.

"Do you see anything?" Peter repeated. "There has to be more evidence than what was found."

"Nothing," Natalie admitted. "Do you know where everybody was this afternoon?" she asked.

Together they discussed all possible suspects, their motives, and their whereabouts for the afternoon. They went through the list - Vicki, Anna, Suzie, Johnny, Steve, Andi, and Thomas, but most of them had pretty solid alibis. It seemed hopeless.

"Peter, you have to believe me. I haven't been lying lately. You know I would've cracked by now."

"I know," Peter sighed. "Which is why I want to believe you... but the evidence is making it hard." He was torn because he could tell Natalie wasn't lying to him - she'd lied enough for him to have an idea of her tells. But later that night when he tried to talk to El about it, she didn't agree.

"Natalie has you fooled. She batted her eyelashes and feigned innocence, and you bought it," Elizabeth accused.

Peter sighed. "I'm telling you, I don't think she did it."

"She's hated being here since the very beginning, she hated riding the horses, and all of the evidence points to her. And how are we supposed to believe someone who has lied to us so much in the past?"

"She and I have a deal about honesty," Peter replied. "And she didn't show any of indication that she was lying."

"Hon, listen, I know your intuition is rarely wrong, but this time we have too much solid evidence against it. Marcy is really upset. One of the horses was almost hit by a car, and another got into the pool. Dale says he's sure that Natalie was the culprit. Even his younger sister saw Natty by the stables."

Peter sighed heavily. "There has to be more evidence somewhere. I don't want to take someone's word over Natalie's unless I'm sure they're right. "

"Well, she needs to be punished. I know she has you wrapped around her finger, but I'm not that easy. And I'm going to spank her."

Natalie's ear was pressed against the door as she listened to her foster parents discussing the incident and it made her blood boil. _Why isn't Peter being more firm with Elizabeth? And how come she's taking someone else's word over mine? I have to prove them wrong!_ Natalie said to herself, still wondering who it was that had set her up.

So far, the only people whose alibis hadn't added up were Steve and Andi, but of course, those were the two people she most wanted to be innocent. She would have to figure out a way to speak with them both and gage who was being more honest.

A door slamming rattled Natalie out of her thoughts and she realized that Elizabeth was coming towards her room. She scrambled to her bed so it wasn't obvious she'd been listening, and lay there waiting for her foster mom to enter.

"It's time you were punished for your crime," Elizabeth stated firmly when she swung the door open. "You've made it clear from the beginning that you don't want to be here, and I understand that, but what you did with the horses crossed the line. I will not have you putting lives in jeopardy then lying and getting away with it."

"El, I didn't let the horses out," Natalie said, trying to keep her anger from getting out of hand. She should have spoken to her foster mom like she had with Peter, then maybe the entire spanking would've been avoided. But instead she lashed out. "But of course you don't believe me because you don't even know me… you still think I'm a fuck up, just like everyone else."

"You watch that tone young lady," Elizabeth scolded. "How can I get to know you if you won't let me in?"

Natalie's mind was racing too quickly for her to process El's words and come up with a response. "You're always taking my phone away and getting mad at me, but Allie can do no wrong, right? She's everyone's favorite. You and Peter both favor her. I knew I shouldn't of made that stupid promise with him to be honest. Some good that did."

"She is not everyone's favorite and she has nothing to do with this conversation." Elizabeth retorted. "This is about you and doing something wrong and then lying about it!"

"I'M NOT FUCKING LYING!" Natalie shrieked, standing in anger and stomping her foot. There was this intense feeling in her body and she felt the need to throw something.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "That's it. Your language has earned you the hairbrush, Young Lady."

"Whatever," Natty sneered. "I'm not scared of you."

Without another word, Elizabeth sat on the bed and patted her lap for Natty to come forward. But the preteen only folded her arms. She wasn't going down that easy!

"I'm giving you to the count of three," Elizabeth warned. "One. "

"Oh brother," Natalie said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not six anymore!" But she stood firm, staring down her foster mom.

"Two."

"You can stop counting already. I'm not coming," Natalie responded.

Something snapped in Elizabeth and she was overtaken by emotions. She stood and pulled Natalie by her arm, swatting her pajama-clad backside firmly as she scolded, "You are going to learn to do as you have been told, Young Lady."

Even though she tried not to react to the swats, Natalie couldn't help it - her foster mom spanked much harder than she'd imagined! "Owwwww! El! Ouch!" She tried to move away, but Elizabeth kept a firm grip on her arm, swatting at her thighs now. Natty kicked up her knees as she shrieked, and that's when she realized, _there's no use fighting… she'll never believe me._

Taking Natty's ear, Elizabeth led her back to the bed, then tugged her pants and panties to the floor. "I'll not have you being so disobedient and rude. It's unacceptable, Natalie."

"It's also unacceptable that you won't believe me when I'm being honest," Natalie spat, but felt a little embarrassed, which just made her more angry. Peter had always put her over his lap before lowering her panties, so the fact that El hadn't was making Natty a bit self conscious.

Elizabeth turned Natalie around and landed a few more hard smacks to her naked backside, noting that it was already glowing pink. "I'm really tired of your smart mouth! Maybe I should soap it out before we begin?"

Natalie's eyes widened and she quickly decided to shut up. "No, that's okay."

Satisfied with that response, but still angry, Elizabeth pulled Natalie over her lap. "Why are you being spanked?"

"Because you think I let the horses out, even though I didn't."

"Close enough," Elizabeth replied as she rained down a flurry of hard swats to Natalie's bare bum.

The preteen kicked and squirmed, biting her hand to keep from giving El the satisfaction of hearing her cry out. Swats descended one after another, mostly focused on Natty's sit spots and thighs, the speed and intensity increasing as El remembered Marcy's comment about the girls being immoral. It was becoming harder and harder for Natalie to keep herself together, each swat sending a searing pain through her body, reminding her that she hadn't even done anything wrong this time. She could feel water sloshing around in her head, the dam ready to burst in any moment.

 _They'll always think of you as a criminal, so you might as well be one,_ said the voice in her head. _Either way, you'll end up right here staring at the floor while someone beats your ass._ Natalie wanted to tell the voice to shut up, but the truth in its words crept into her throat, kicking the ball that'd been lodged there, preventing a breakdown. She couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears spilled from her blue eyes and she howled ugly cries, sobs racking her body. All of the anger melted away as hurt reached the surface. Hurt because her foster parents didn't believe her, despite how well-behaved she'd been lately. Hurt because she'd finally trusted Peter and let him in, but he was just like everyone else.

When her bottom was bright red, Elizabeth stood the crying preteen up. "You're going to wait here while I fetch the hairbrush," she instructed.

Running wasn't an option - Natalie had no idea where she was and the nearest town didn't even have a bus station. It'd have to wait until she was back at Peter and El's house, then she could get her emergency go-bag and take off. She had plenty of money to last her, along with her mom's valuables. Everything else could be figured out once on the road.

Elizabeth returned minutes later, heavy plastic hairbrush in hand. She sat back down on the bed and looked up at Natalie. "I'm very disappointed in your behavior."

On Natalie's end was an icy silence, only the sound of an occasional sniffle as her tears dried. She was rubbing her bottom furiously, trying to get the sting to go away.

"So you have nothing to say?" Elizabeth shook her head and pulled Natalie back over her lap, resting the cool plastic against her warm backside. "This is for your language and attitude." Then she cracked the brush down square in the middle of Natty's bottom, harder than was probably necessary, but not hard enough to bruise.

"Owwww!" Natalie howled, reaching a hand back. "That's too hard!"

Elizabeth took hold of her hand and pinned it to her back. "It is not too hard," she countered. "It's as hard as it need to be."

Natalie kicked and squirmed as Elizabeth popped her a few more times with the hairbrush, the preteen's dramatic cries ringing through the cabin. Surely anyone in a 100 yard radius could hear her! And it didn't take many more swats with the brush for the door to creak open, and Peter to step inside, looking anything but amused.

"She's had enough, El."

But Elizabeth ignored him, determined to teach Natalie a good lesson. "She deserves every bit of this."

Shaking his head, Peter strode over and grabbed the brush from his wife. "I said she's had enough!"

Natalie took the opportunity to roll off her foster mom's lap, holding her aching backside. She was crying so hard she couldn't see what was going on, just focused on the fact that she was in pain and wanted to be alone. She tugged her pjs back up and wiped her eyes for long enough to see Peter and Elizabeth staring at her.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked, genuinely concerned. If he had known Elizabeth was going to be so severe, he would have stopped the spanking before it started.

 _How am I supposed to answer that? Of course I'm not okay. I was punished unfairly, and you did nothing._ That's what she wanted to say, but instead settled on, "I just wanna be alone."

Peter took Elizabeth by the hand and half-dragged her out. "What happened just then? That was way too harsh!"

It took looking into her husband's eyes for Elizabeth to finally realize that he was right. "You know how much I hate her attitude and bad language," she said, trying to justify her actions. But she still wasn't fully sure what had happened herself.

"Maybe the attitude and language is because she's innocent." Peter gave an exasperated sigh. "And maybe when I find the evidence to prove it, I'll use this hairbrush on you."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him. "You wouldn't dare!" But the thought made her shudder, because if he was right and Natty was innocent, she probably did deserve a good hairbrushing.


	11. Allie & Natalie's Dude Ranch Mystery 2

_Spanking series, co-written with_ _ **LenniLuvsBrian**_ _, mostly M/f, mostly non-consensual_

 _ **A/N**_ _: This is an AU in which Neal and Alex have two daughters. Background is explained throughout the story._

 _ **Series Summary**_ _: 12-year-old Natalie is an independent and rebellious pre-teen, who has been taking care of her little sister, Allie (age 6). When their mom is arrested, the girls run away to find their father, only to end up in the care of an FBI agent and his wife instead._

 _ **Chapter 11 Summary**_ _: Natalie was spanked for letting out the horses, but still claims that she didn't do it! Maybe she and Allie can find evidence to prove it?_

-x-x-x-x-

"I didn't think you'd make it!" Steve said when Natalie appeared at the top of the hill later that night, having snuck out of her cabin to join the adolescents that sat around star-gazing and drinking beer. The greetings she received from her cousins were less-than-welcoming but easily ignored as she plopped next to Steve, wincing because she could still feel the remnants of her severe spanking. "Word is that you got in a lot of trouble for the horse thing?" Steve asked.

Natalie squirmed feeling her face redden with embarrassment. "Yeah, but I'll figure out who framed me," she assured him. It had been in the forefront of her mind all evening, and she'd ruminated over which of her two "friends" secretly hated her. She desperately hoped it wasn't Steve - he'd been so nice to her the whole trip! But if he didn't do it, did that mean it was Andi? Andi had also been really nice to her! _More proof that nobody can be trusted._

They sat around for hours, the older teens drinking while everyone chatted and told stories. Natalie stayed quiet, spending most of her time listening to her peers rather than giving her own input. She was doing her best to stay patient... Someone would slip up and give her a clue soon!

Her answer finally came around 2am when everyone was half asleep, drunk, or both. Natty almost didn't even pick up on it when Andi said, "After lunch I went into town to get new riding boots for the race this weekend."

Peter's voice rang through her ears: "Andrea was canoeing, but doesn't have an alibi."

Natalie perked up from her spot next to Steve and questioned, "didn't you go canoeing?"

Andi looked confused for a minute, but then giggled and said, "Yeah I mean after that."

It wasn't proof, but Andi's demeanor gave Natty a strong feeling about who the culprit was, so much that she started to feel sick. First Elizabeth, now Andi… that was too much betrayal in one night.

With a yawn and pathetic excuse, Natalie left the group and stalked back to the cabin. Her eyes were teary but she ignored it, instead trying to focus on plotting revenge. Except she wasn't sure who she wanted to hurt more, her friend-cousin, or her foster mom.

-x-x-x-x-

"Remember to stay close on Andi's trail, okay? Don't let her out of your sight. We have to find her guilty of something. Got it?"

"Got it!" Allie assured her. "I'll catch her, Natty! And I got my camera to prove it!"

The six year old headed outside, leaving her sister alone in the cabin. Natalie had been ordered to either hang out with her foster parents, or be confined to her room, and since she was still angry at Peter and especially Elizabeth, opted to stay in. She also somehow convinced Allie to stay in, too, which the foster parents should've found suspicious, but didn't.

It didn't take Allie much time to find Andi near the edge of the woods. She snapped a picture, staying hidden amongst the trees as she trailed the older girl, enjoying the fact she got to be sneaky again.

Unfortunately, Andi wasn't doing anything interesting so far, and eventually caught on to the kid following her. "Hey, what do you want?" she asked Allie.

"I'm just taking pictures of stuff," Allie replied innocently. "I want to remember my trip and all the horsies." It was mostly true.

At first Andi bought it, but then she kept seeing the brat wherever she went and decided to have some fun with it. First she went to pool hoping that Allie wouldn't dare join her there without an adult. But alas, it didn't take long before Allie tiptoed behind with camera in hand. Then she decided to go to the ropes course, and then to the pier. Finally, she headed someplace she knew Allie couldn't follow: the stables. She climbed up top Brownie, looking back to see the six year old lopping towards her. "Let's see you catch up with me now!" she said, then trotted off on the horse.

Allie frowned. She had promised Peter she wouldn't ride alone... but she'd also promised her sister that she'd figure out a way to get Andi in trouble. Natty had been framed, and no one believed her except Allie, so she had to do something! _Natty's innocence is more important than my pinky promise to Peter,_ Allie said to herself as she secured her camera and climbed up onto the fence, calling Starlight over. Once the horse was close enough, Allie carefully climbed atop. "Giddy up, Starlight," she said, clicking her tongue as Peter had taught her.

The horse trotted off and Allie held tightly to the reins, steering Starlight into the woods towards Andi, wanting to keep up.

"Seriously?" Andi shrieked. "Stop following me you freak!" She gave Brownie a light kick and bolted deeper into the woods, staying on the same trail Allie was used to, until there was a fork in the path and Andi went left instead of right like they did for their sunrise ride.

Allie sped Starlight up and followed eagerly. "You framed my sister you witch!" she shouted. "I'm gonna catch you!"

After Andi made a sharp right turn, then a sharp left, Allie lost sight, but didn't let it stop her! She just grumbled and continued on the path, going farther into the woods in the direction she thought Andi would be. All was fine until a snake slithered past and startled the horse, who immediately reared up and bolted.

A piercing scream echoed from the little girl's mouth and tears immediately began falling as Allie tightened her grip and held on for dear life. "Slow down, Starlight! Slow down! Please slow down!" When the horse finally stopped running and came to a trot they were way into the woods and lost. Allie was breathing hard and crying, her hands white from holding on so tight. "Where are we?"

Peter had decided to give the stables one final look when he heard a scream from the woods that sounded eerily similar to Allie. But it couldn't be - Allie was inside with Natalie, spending time together. As he thought it, he realized that his hope for what his foster kids were doing was probably very different than what was actually happening. And when he glanced over at Starlight's empty space, he knew the scream was Allie's. "Dammit Allie, what have you gotten yourself into," Peter muttered to himself, mounting Patches and galloping off towards the noise. "Allie!" he called. "Allie, are you there?" He started out on the trail they normally took, only to notice the recent tracks turning left at the fork. Using his intuition as a guide, he followed the tracks, continuing to shout, "Allie!"

Allie didn't hear him, though, as Starlight kept heading deeper and deeper into the bush. "I want Peter," she whimpered, tears still streaming down her face. She scolded the horse, "Don't you do that again, Starlight. I thought I was gonna fall off!" The horse finally found a stream and stopped to get water, allowing Allie to take a deep breath and look around. "How do we get back, Starlight? Everything here looks the same… I don't know the way and I just wanna go back… I'm scared."

Peter was starting to get worried as he searched for his youngest, still calling out though he didn't hear any more screams. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw where a little tree had been knocked down off the path, creating fresh tracks. Peter steered Patches in the direction, easily noticing where Allie and Starlight had been.

"Allie!" he called out again, urging Patches to go a little faster and faster until he heard a faint: "Peter?!" He steered Patches towards the voice, finally arriving to the stream and meeting Allie and Starlight. He hopped to the ground and grabbed Allie off the horse, hugging her tightly. "You have no idea how dangerous this was!" he scolded.

Allie latched onto him, her cries increasing. She buried her face into his neck, tears soaking his shirt. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was trying to help Natty!"

He didn't care for her excuses, just held her tight so that his racing heart could finally get back to normal. He'd been so worried that Allie had been trampled - she was still a beginner and even though Starlight was usually a good horse, anything could have happened! "Regardless of whether you're helping Natalie or not, you know better than to ride alone on Starlight. I've told you thousands of times, Allie."

"I was being careful 'till she got scared by a snake," Allie whimpered. "Then she scared me too."

"Come on, let's get back to the cabin, we'll talk about it there." He eased her back on Starlight, then hopped back onto Patches, leading the way, but this time back on trail.

They made it to the stables and Peter unsaddled the two horses, allowing Allie to brush them and feed sugar cubes.

"So you were helping out Natty?" he asked as he washed his hands, waiting for Allie to finish. Maybe it was worth another walk around to see if they'd missed any evidence. He looked around the gate where Natty's shirt had been found, seeing the same grass and rocks as he had earlier. "You don't think Natty let the horses free?"

Allie shook her head. "She wouldn't go near something she doesn't like unless she has to. It was Andi who did it. I was following her but then I lost her."

Peter shook his head and squatted down to see if there was anything he hadn't noticed earlier. And that's when he saw it: a big footprint right in the middle of horse poop. First, he knew Natalie didn't have any on her shoes because it would have smelled. But also the footprint was much smaller than Natalie's. "Bingo!" he said. Popping back up, he looked at Allie. "Let's go, kiddo."

"What is it?" Allie demanded, skipping to Peter and looking down to see. "Eeeeewwwwwww! Andi stepped in poop!"

"Looks like it," Peter admitted.

Allie reached out to him, feeling a little clingy after what had happened. "Up," she insisted.

He sighed. "You're getting too big to be carried." But he picked her up anyway.

Peter was only half surprised to find the cabin empty when they arrived. Of course Natalie hadn't obeyed her lock down rule, but he'd have to deal with that later. For now he had to have another conversation.

"Allie, you're going to get a spanking for going off like that today," he told her, sitting down on the couch and letting her snuggle up with him. "We'll wait until you're ready, but I'm warning you now."

"But I was trying to help!" Allie protested. "I would've come back on my own if I hadn't lost Andi and if that snake hadn't scared Starlight!" She did _not_ want to be spanked. Sure she'd almost gone flying off Starlight but nothing super bad had happened... other than getting lost.

"Every morning and afternoon we discussed the rules and you were told no riding on your own," he reasoned. "Remember? You even pinky promised."

"But this was a special circ...circum...this was a special reason!" Allie protested, still feeling justified in going after Andi.

"There were many other options you could have chosen."

"I was trying to get proof!"

"If you ever have to choose between breaking one of Natty's rules or breaking one of my rules, you _MUST_ obey mine first. If you suspected Andi and wanted to follow her, you could have told me."

"But I woulda lost her if I tried to find you," Allie argued indignantly. "I like Natty's rules better. Your rules suck."

"Well, Natty's rules may get you a spanking," he replied. "But I am glad you're safe. I was really worried about you," he added, remembering again the coaching he'd received from his wife.

Allie was quiet a moment before speaking softly. "I was scared," she admitted. "I didn't know how to find you. And Starlight went up on her back legs and I thought I was gonna fall off!"

"Horses can be very dangerous... not because they want to be, but they get scared or nervous just like we do. When they're scared or nervous, their behavior becomes a little more unpredictable."

"Starlight doesn't like snakes," Allie informed him. "She ran too fast."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that alone, kiddo. That's why I prefer to ride with you, so if something crazy happens I can help you get Starlight back under control."

Allie shifted so she was on her knees and wrapped her arms about his neck tightly. She lay her head on his shoulder and held onto him. "I'd rather you ride with me too..."

"So we agree then? No more riding horses without me around?"

"I won't ride the horsey without you," Allie promised hugging him a little tighter. "It's too scary..."

"I'm glad to hear it," he admitted and just sat with her a few minutes, waiting for her to calm down and feel safe again. Once her breathing resumed to normal, he pulled her away for a second. "Let's get the spanking over with so we can exonerate your sister."

Allow pouted. "But Peter..." she whined softly. "Do we have to?"

"Sorry, kiddo, but we do. You were warned not to ride the horses alone, and when a rule is broken, you must accept the consequences."

"But I don't want to," Allie replied, poking her lower lip out.

"I know, me either," he admitted, still holding her there on his lap. "I suppose if you really don't want a spanking, your consequence could be no more horse riding?" He didn't want to take horse riding away from Allie as it was the most positive time they'd ever spent together, but maybe having a choice would make this easier.

Allie looked ready to cry all over again and her lip quivered. "But I like riding the horsies with you! It's my most favorite thing after magic!"

"So it's gonna be a tough choice then," Peter replied, though he felt his heart swell with mixed emotions.

Allie frowned, eyes filling with tears. "I don't like those choices Peter!"

"Sadly not all choices are fun to make," he empathized, squeezing her tighter.

Allie sighed heavily. "I'll take the spanking… 'cause I'm not giving up our horsey rides for anything!"

Peter couldn't help but smile. "Good choice. And the spanking will be over much faster," he reasoned.

"I hope so," Allie grumbled. "I don't like when my bum hurts."

"Well, you know how to avoid it. We have been as clear as possible about the rules."

"Rules are boring," Allie answered. "I need adventure!"

"Rules are necessary," Peter tried to explain. "Without rules there would be chaos and people would just go around doing bad things all the time. It's okay to have some adventure, but rules are there for a reason, and this one in particular for your safety."

"I guess so," Allie sighed softly. "But I was trying to catch a bad guy."

"That's my job. Natalie shouldn't have asked you to help - it's almost our last day here so you're supposed to be having fun, not going off chasing people. Now c'mon kiddo, let's get this over with before your sister comes back."

Allie pouted once more but slid from her foster dad's lap and stood before him. "Where is Natty anyway?"

"That's a great question," Peter grumbled. "We'll find her once we're finished here." He unbuttoned Allie's jeans and tugged them down to her knees, then helped her over his lap. Resting a hand on her panty-clad bottom he asked, "What is this spanking for, Allie?"

"Riding Starlight by myself," Allie answered as she squirmed a little.

Peter landed the first flurry of swats as he continued lecturing. "That's right - No. *SWAT!* Riding. *SWAT!* Horses. *SWAT!* By. *SWAT!* Yourself. *SWAT!* Not until you're older and have more practice." He then focused on her sit spots a little, wanting to be sure she felt this at dinner.

Allie started to cry and squirmed more, wanting to get away. "I just wanted to help Nattyyy!"

"Then you'll have to figure out a way to help her without breaking the rules," Peter said, holding onto her tighter to prevent excessive squirming, then continued with the thunderous smacks. When her bum turned a light pink, he tugged her panties down to expose her bare bottom.

"Nooooo!" Allie wailed, throwing a hand back. "I'm sorryyyy!"

He easily grabbed her hand, pinning it to the small of her back. "Why are you sorry?" He wanted to know, raining down a few harder spanks.

"For riding alone!" Allie wailed as she tried to writhe away.

"Why are you sorry for that?"

"'Cause I got lost!" Allie cried out.

"And anything could happen to you if you get lost. And we would all really miss you," he added. He let go of her hand to circle an arm around her waist and continued the spanking, certain he was covering her backside entirely.

Allie cried harder, her little legs kicking up and her free hand trying to reach back to no avail. "Owwwwww!" she yelped.

"You have to learn to follow the rules, kiddo, and it'll be much better for your bum."

"I'm trying!"

Peter stopped the hand spanking and lifted the tearful little girl from his lap. Keeping a tight grip on her hand, he led her to the den, grabbing the wooden ping pong paddle, then sat on the straight-backed wooden chair. "Allie, going off on the horses by yourself is a really big deal. You could have been killed out there! You're so lucky that nothing worse happened to you. And this isn't the first time we've talked about your running off. I thought El and I made ourselves clear when you escaped at the zoo, but I guess we didn't."

"Yes you did," Allie insisted. "I didn't run off. Starlight did."

Peter didn't give into the little girl's arguing. "You can't go off on your own when you've pinky promised you won't. If you hadn't gotten on top of Starlight in the first place, you wouldn't have gotten lost in the woods." He lifted her to sit in his lap, pants and panties still bunched at her knees, and held onto her tight. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you," he admitted.

Allie looked a little surprised, as she pressed herself against him squirming a little. "I'm not going no where," she told him. "I'm super girl. Super girl always comes home."

Squeezing her a bit, Peter said, "I don't want to take any chances. So you're going to get six with the ping pong paddle, just as an extra reminder not to go off on your own."

Allie pouted. "But my bum already hurts," she whined softly, wanting to protest but at the same time feeling bad for breaking a pinky promise. "And I'm sorry..."

"Only six, then it'll be over and we can find Natty and tell her the big news about the clue we found."

Allie started to cry a little more. "I don't want to," she told him. "But I broke a pinky promise...and those are super important..."

Instead of waiting for her to decide, Peter helped the crying six year old over his lap. Her naked red bottom wiggled in the air as he gave her the first _POP!_ The ping pong paddle was light, but large enough to cover most of Allie's bum, and on top of the soreness from the hand spanking, it really hurt!

Allie yelped loudly, her legs flying up and hand going to her bum. "No! No! No!" Her crying increased as she squirmed wanting to get away.

Peter gave her a minute to rub the sting out before moving her hand away and holding onto it. _POP!_

"OWWWWW!" Allie wailed loudly, her legs kicking more.

"Are you starting to learn your lesson, Allie?" Peter asked, landing the third _POP!_

"YESSSSSS!" Allie screeched. "I'M SORRY!"

He gave her a moment to cry, then landed the last 3 spanks quickly to get it over with. He dropped the paddle and also her hand, then scooped the little girl in his lap for a hug.

Allie clung to him tightly as she sobbed. "I'm sorryyyyy… I won't do it agaiiiiin..."

"I hope not, kiddo. I don't ever want to spank you that hard again." He patted her back softly, letting her tears wet his shirt, then kissed her on the top of the head. "I'm glad you've had a nice vacation."

"Can we come back here lots?" Allie asked hopefully. "I'm gonna miss Starlight."

"We can come again in the spring," Peter promised. "Let's go find Natalie and then we can go for another ride before dinner."

-x-x-x-x-

When Andi wandered back onto the property, Natalie was waiting for her by the stables. "Did ya have a nice ride?"

"What are you doing here?" Andi demanded. "Aren't you supposed to be grounded?"

"Thanks to you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Andi hopped off Brownie and gave her a treat, then came towards Natalie. "Your sister was following me all day. You need to tell her to stop."

Natalie ignored that comment and held up a memory stick. "We know you were the one who let out the horses," Natalie said. "I have all the proof I need right here and am seconds away from showing it to Aunt Marcy."

Andi had the nerve to laugh. "You don't have proof of anything."

Natalie fumbled in her pocket for her phone, sneaking it out when Andi wasn't paying attention and hitting the voice recorder. She was determined to get justice!

"We'll leave that up for Aunt Marcy to decide," Natalie said, turning to walk away. "I'm sure she won't let you around anymore... and maybe she'll even ask Peter to prosecute. I feel so sorry for you. Unless..." she glanced back up at Andi whose face was panic-stricken.

"Unless what?"

"You confess and apologize to me. Then nobody has to know."

"Ha! And why should I trust you?"

Natalie shrugged. "After you apologize, the memory stick is yours," she said, holding it out.

Andi eyed her warily, unsure if she was bluffing. But what if there really was evidence on the memory stick? Andi certainly didn't want Aunt Marcy to find out and ban her from hanging out at the ranch with Anna.

"Suit yourself," Natty said as she turned to walk away, breaking Andi free from her thoughts.

"Wait, wait! Don't tell Aunt Marcy!"

Natty stopped and turned back towards her with a smile. "Why not?"

"I'll tell you," Andi grumbled. "It was me, alright? But you were being so stuck up and hogging Steve, so it served you right!"

"That doesn't sound like an apology..."

"I was explaining, jeez," Andi retorted. "I'm sorry I got you in all that shit."

"So you're the one who framed me? You deleted the messages from my phone and planted my shirt and convinced me to go call my boyfriend." Natalie shook her head in half disappointment, half awe. "All because you're jealous."

"I apologized, can I have the memory stick now?" Andi replied. "And you would have done it had the roles been reversed!"

"I'm not as petty and jealous as you," Natalie said and threw the memory stick at the girl. She dug her phone out of her pocket to turn off the recorder, making sure it saved. Then she smirked at the girl and said, "By the way, fuck you. You'll never get a guy like Steve because you're such a bitch." Then she proceeded to push her - hard! - right into a pile of horse crap. It was perfect timing, too, because the cousins and Steve happened to be walking by. Natalie didn't wait for them to say anything, instead ran towards the main office, surprised when she met Peter and Allie half way. "I have proof!" she shrieked.

"We have proof too!" Allie told her. She was still latched onto Peter and rubbing her bottom a little off and on. "Peter saw some with the horsies!"

Natalie was too concerned with wanting revenge that she didn't even notice Allie's pain. "So let's go! Let's tell Aunt Marcy!"

"Slow down," Peter told her. "Weren't you supposed to be grounded?"

"Only 'cause I was blamed for doing something I didn't do… and now I have proof that I'm innocent! Can we go already?" She grabbed at Peter and Allie's hands, trying to get them motivated to leave.

"Don't you wanna hear what proof we have?" Allie insisted.

"Tell me while we walk," Natty said, beginning to drag the two along until they finally reached the porch rocking chairs where Elizabeth and Marcy sat, each sipping on a glass of cider.

"I have proof! I have proof!" Natalie shouted.

Elizabeth and Marcy glanced at each other. "Proof of what, child?" Aunt Marcy asked.

Natalie pressed the play button on her phone and heard Andi's voice, first resistant and later admitting to framing Natalie. "See?! I told you it wasn't me!"

The women raised their eyebrows, El trying to hide the look of shame for having punished Natty so harsh, Marcy only half-believing that the evidence was legit. "Well who would've guessed," the old woman said, digging her feet into the ground to push herself back in the chair, then releasing and falling forward. "I simply cannot believe Andi would do something like this. She's always such a good girl."

Elizabeth didn't say anything, just kept her eyes to the ground so she wouldn't have to face the accusing glares of Peter and Natty.

"I also saw Andi's shoe print near the gate," Peter said. "And I think someone needs to have a talk with her. It's not fair that Natalie was punished when she hadn't done anything wrong,"

Aunt Marcy was about to say something, but Dale ran up to them. "The mare is giving birth!"

This caused Natalie to growl. She didn't care about the stupid horse, just wanted revenge for Andi!

But Allie gasped in excitement, jumping up and down. "Let's go! Let's go!" She'd been checking on the mare at least twice a day to make sure she wouldn't miss the baby's arrival, so the news made her forget all about justice for her big sister.

"We can fill Dale in on our way to the barn," Peter said as he took ahold of Allie's hand to walk with her towards the stables. The others followed behind, Natty speeding up to Dale's pace.

They walked for a moment and no one said anything, which was all the prompting Natty needed to make her point. "Andi's really the one who let the horses out and she blamed me!" He turned to argue, but Natalie already had out her phone and pressed the play button. She watched him closely as he listened, still unbelieving at first, but upon hearing the confession shook his head in disappointment.

"I'll deal with her soon as the foal is born," Dale promised.

"Justice will be served in due time," Peter also promised to Natalie as they reached the barn.

Allie ran ahead, climbing on the fence so she could get an up-close and personal view of the gooey four-legged creature falling out of his mother's body. Natalie couldn't handle it, though, and covered her eyes, only getting excited when she noticed that a crowd had formed nearby, Andi and cousins included.

"I wanna name it!" Allie squealed, jumping down from the fence and running up to Aunt Marcy, batting her eyelashes. "We should name her Moonbeam!"

Aunt Marcy smiled, thinking about it for a moment and finally agreeing. "Moonbeam it is!" she declared. "What a wonderful name!"

Allie went back to the fence, climbing up and trying to convince Dale to let her pet Moonbeam, but he refused as the foal was too young. "They need to rest for now but you can stand and watch from that side of the gate as long as you like."

"Okay!" Allie agreed easily.

The crowd around Moonbeam thickened even more, and Dale caught sight of Andi, calling her over. Natty's heart raced in trepidation for the tongue lashing she and everyone else were about to witness.

His voice boomed louder than she could have imagined: "You let out the horses." Dale loomed over his little sister, arms folded and eyes squinted in anger.

Andi stood there dumbfounded, then glanced at Natalie and shook her head. "She's lying!"

Dale didn't respond but simply requested for Natalie to playback the recording. The preteen happily took out her phone and grinned as she turned the volume up for everyone to hear.

"So who is really the one lying?" Dale demanded. "What you did was stupid! You put the horses lives in danger! Just what were you thinking!?"

Andi wanted to argue with her brother so she'd look cool in front of all her friends, but Dale was very strict and she knew the more she argued, the harsher her punishment would be. "But I apologized!" she finally said.

"After you thought she was going to tell," Dale stated. "I'm not thrilled about your behavior Andi."

Andi looked down at the ground, cheeks reddening.

Natalie piped up. "She should get a spanking."

"Hush," Peter scolded her lightly. "It's not up to you."

"Oh she's getting spanked that's for sure," Dale answered. "Just not in front of all these people."

"But I think it's only fair that it's in front of me since I got my ass beat because of her," Natalie said, ignoring Peter's warning.

"Dale nooooo!" Andi begged. If she'd been blushing before, now she was red to the tips of her ears! "Natalie started it all! She was mean to me! Ask Anna!"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Stop whining and take your punishment like a woman."

Now Andi glared at Natalie. "You... you... you shut up!"

"Natalie," Peter warned. "I know you're upset but you didn't get punished in front of people and she shouldn't be punished in front of a crowd either."

"You interfered with my job Andrea. You put lives at risk. And that's unacceptable," Dale scolded.

"But... but...!" Andi stammered. She didn't like that everyone was staring at her, especially when she was in trouble and especially talking about how she was spanked... and at her age! It wasn't a secret but still…

Dale was trying to think of somewhere more private to deal with his sister. "Marcy, is there a free cabin right now?" Dale asked.

"Cabin 12," she said. "The keys are in the office."

"I'll go get them!" Vicki chanted. She'd thought she was the only one who still got spanked but now she learned so did Natalie and Andi, which made her kind of happy.

Andi glared at her friend, embarrassed and hating that she was being publicly chastised. "You're supposed to be on my side!" She scowled.

Vicki came back with the keys and handed them off to Dale. Andi sneered at her but was quickly hauled off by her big brother, and had bigger things to worry about. "Dale, pleaseeee," she begged, tears already falling. "I won't do it again, I swear!"

"It's too late for that," Dale said firmly. "Peter, you and Natalie are welcome to come along."

Natalie's eyes widened in excitement and she looked up at Peter, who nodded that they could follow.

"No noooo don't let them seeeee!" Andi tried to dig her heels into the ground to stop her brother but it was no use - he was much stronger than her.

"She's such a baby," Natalie muttered to her foster dad.

"Please stop with the comments," Peter told her. "I'm sure you wouldn't be any less dramatic if it were you."

Dale finally got fed up with Andi trying to slow them down and landed a hearty smack to her jean clad backside. "That's enough!" His voice boomed, pointing a finger at her. "If I have to keep dragging you, you're getting extra."

The swat caused big heavy tears to stream down Andi's face, and she finally stopped fighting, feeling defeated. There was nothing she could do to prevent the punishment now!

When they finally reached the cabin, Dale led everyone inside and stood his little sister in the middle of the living room. His large frame towered over hers as he paced back and forth, scolding. "I'm very disappointed in your behavior Andrea. Did you really think you could get away with not only letting out the horses, but also framing somebody?"

Andi hung her head, staring at her toes, tears still falling. Clearly Dale's question was rhetorical.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Dale demanded, crossing his arms and staring down at her.

"I'm sorry... I'll never do it again!" Andi wailed. She glanced at Peter and Natalie who were watching her from the sofa and blushed again. Most of her dignity had already been lost... and she just hoped her spanking wouldn't be on the bare, or she'd never be able to show her face to the family again!

"It's a little too late for sorry," Dale told her with a sigh as he began removing his thick brown leather belt.

"Nooooooo," Andi wailed, dramatically falling to her knees.

"Oh puh-leeze," Natty muttered under her breath. This girl was such a drama queen! Natalie wouldn't be caught dead acting like that in front of someone!

"Dale, you can't, please, not the belt!"

"Andi get up and stop the theatrics," Dale ordered. "My decision has been made. Don't make it worse for yourself."

Andi obeyed her big brother, still sobbing loudly, but trying to wipe the tears away. "But I'm sorryyyy!"

"I'm sure you're sorry," Dale replied. "But are you sorry for what you did? Or just sorry you got caught? "

Andi wasn't sure if she was supposed to answer, and just sniffled, not daring look up at Dale.

"Pants and panties down, and bend over to touch your toes."

Another whine emerged from Andi's lips and she nervously chewed on her fingernails as she glanced at a smirking Natalie and serious Peter, then unhooked the button of her jeans. She really didn't want to do this, but saw her big brother's brown eyes dancing in flames and knew that she wouldn't be sitting comfortably for a long time already, and she shouldn't make it worse on herself.

"Today, Andrea," Dale urged as Andi slowly moved the zipper and gave a final pathetic look before lowering her jeans mid-thigh. Unsatisfied, Dale tugged them to the floor, then jerked down her panties to meet them. "You know that I won't tolerate this kind of behavior, Young Lady."

Andi covered herself, mortified at everyone staring and self conscious of her blossoming half-naked body. "I'm sorry," she said again.

Dale said nothing, just pointed for her to bend over and waited for her to comply.

The scene was intense and Natalie looked on curiously, thankful that Peter had never put her in that position before. As if it wasn't bad enough getting a belting, it was even worse having to bend over for one! How would she ever keep position?

The first CRACK! of the belt made Natty jump. A red stripe formed on Andi's bottom as the teen cried out in pain, struggling to not reach back.

"Ooowwwieee! Dale! It hurtsss!"

"It's going to hurt a whole lot more by the time I'm finished," Dale replied, then landed another loud CRACK! right underneath the first, another squeal from Andi, another red stripe, and then another lash, and another, and another.

Before too long, Andi was crying hard and pleading with him to stop, but Dale tuned her pleas out as best he could, only stopping the whipping when she reached a hand back. "Move your hand!" he ordered.

Natalie was starting to feel a little bad for Andi, especially since her backside was cherry red by this point, from the top of her butt cheeks all the way down to her thighs. She wondered if her bottom had looked the same after her spanking last night.

Dale finished up with ten hard lashes, ending with Andi practically on the floor. He gave her a moment to compose herself while he put his belt back on, then eased her panties up and helped her stand. "Is there something you want to tell Natalie and Peter?" He asked firmly.

"I-I'm s-s-sorryyyyy!" Andi stammered through sobs, rubbing her burning backside.

"If you ever do something like this again, I'll cut a switch and blister your bottom, do you understand?" Dale said.

Andi nodded frantically and promised to be a good girl, then eased her tight jeans back up. Dale once more apologized to Peter and Natty, then they went on their way, Natalie smirking as they stepped back into the autumn sunlight.

On their way back to the dining room, Natalie replayed the scene in her mind: the sound of leather whipping through the air, the thunderous CRACK against bare skin, then Andi's squeals. She was so happy to have seen the brat get what she deserved, but there was a little nagging feeling inside of her. It was her anger towards El; she still hadn't been able to forgive her.

-x-x-x-x-

The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful. The family ate dinner together and there was only a little tension, though Natalie kept up the silent treatment towards El. And then everyone began packing as they would be getting up early to leave the next morning.

Allie was really unhappy about leaving. The ranch vacation had been her favorite weekend ever, and she wished so much that she could stay in the country with Starlight, riding her everyday through the mountains. She was so sad about leaving that it took lots of snuggles and stories for Elizabeth to finally get Allie to sleep.

Peter ordered the oldest to bed shortly after and El retreated to her bedroom to finish packing. A sense of dread hung over her, as if she had known that Peter was about to walk in, hairbrush in hand.

"Hon, we need to talk about what happened yesterday," he said seriously.

"What about yesterday?" Elizabeth asked innocently as she kept packing. Her hands shook with anxiety and she tried to think of a way to get out of this, even if she kind of knew she deserved it.

"You know what," he said, taking the suitcase from her and tossing it aside. He sat on the bed and pulled her down next to him.

With nothing left to distract her, El looked into her husband's eyes and finally sighed heavily. "I feel horrible yet justified at the same time. Her language has gotten out of hand and regardless of the situation it should not be used. But then I feel horrible because she was telling me the truth and I didn't believe her."

Peter nodded. "I will have a chat with her about the language, I know that really bothers you," he promised, then wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder, wondering if he should follow through on his threat to spank her. It wouldn't be the first time he'd had to apply it to her backside, but usually he only did so when she really felt like she needed it. Was this one of those times?

"I really screwed things up, Hon. She won't talk to me and or even really look at me..."

He certainly knew how it felt to receive the silent treatment from the preteen, even if it didn't happen that often. "You're doing the best that you can," he assured her. "But I wish you had listened to me when I tried to tell you she didn't do it. That's not like you to ignore me - what's going on?"

"I felt pressured by everyone to punish her," Elizabeth admitted. "I should have just told them to mind their own business. But all I could hear was Marcy talking about how stupid it was for us to be foster parents to a criminal's kids. And I thought about all the trouble Natty's caused, all the times she's lied, and just figured that Marcy's right. The kids are criminals, and we can't help them."

"But you know that's not the case," Peter said. "We've helped them both a lot. They've been behaving so much better since we provided them with a stable home."

El just nodded, laying her head on his chest. She watched as he subtly picked up the hairbrush, inspecting it.

"I bet it doesn't hurt as much as the wooden one we have at home," Peter commented.

"I'm not so sure I want to find out, though I likely deserve it."

"You know what I think?" Peter asked. He didn't wait for an answer though. "I think you need to find out."

Elizabeth sighed heavily. "Do I have to?"

"No, you don't have to. But I think you should."

There was an uneasy silence, but El finally said, "Okay, if you think it's best. Maybe I won't feel so guilty then." She managed to push herself up from the bed in a moment of bravery, decision made. "Let's do this."

Before she could change her mind, Peter set the brush back down and reached to unbutton his wife's jeans, looking up to see her chewing on her lower lip in a pout. Elizabeth hated it when he bared her bottom - it made her feel like such a child. "I hope that you think about this next time your emotions threaten to cloud your judgment," he said, sliding her pants and panties down. He let her stand there uncomfortably for a minute before saying, "C'mon, Hon, over my knee."

She eased nervously over his lap, trembling slightly when she felt Peter's hand rest on her bottom. "I know I deserve this… but I don't know if I want it," El admitted, swallowing a lump in her throat. Hopefully the spanking would at least relieve some of the guilt?

"I don't expect you to believe everything Natalie tells you, but I do expect you to be more in control of your anger so you don't let it out on her," Peter said, caressing his wife's creamy white bottom.

"I won't take it out on her again," El promised. "I felt like such a monster...and I hate that she probably thinks that now, too."

"You're not a monster," Peter said landing a hard-ish swat in the middle of her bottom. "You made a mistake and it's one I hope you won't make again." He landed another swat, and another, alternating between each cheek at a slow pace, turning her bottom a light pink color.

"I won't," Elizabeth promised, squirming with each smack.

Peter moved towards her sit spots, peppering each of them mildly, then increasing the speed and intensity of the spanking enough to make his wife's feet kick up in protest. "What are you going to do next time instead of jumping to conclusions?" He asked between swats.

"I'm going to listen to you and not get angry!" Elizabeth wailed, then held a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from crying out too loudly.

"It's okay to get angry," he reminded. "You just have to deal with it better. Remember what you told Allie and me a couple of weeks ago after the zoo? To take a deep breath? To go for a walk? Anything to clear your head. But don't ever, EVER spank the kids in anger again. Understood?"

"Yes," Elizabeth whimpered. "I understand."

Peter paused the spanking to allow El a chance to catch her breath, rubbing her back slightly as he spoke. "And just so we're clear, I won't react in anger either, and I welcome your reprimand any time that I do." He reached for the hairbrush now, taking it in hand and resting the cool plastic against Elizabeth's warm red bottom. He gave her a moment to brace herself, then lifted it up and cracked it against her backside. It was louder than he'd expected!

Elizabeth yelped loudly as she jerked slightly, having forgotten how much the brush hurt. "OW!"

Natalie was in the room next door, unable to sleep, when she heard the _POP!_ and Elizabeth's cry. She cocked an eyebrow and roused from her bed, pressing her ear against the wall to hear what was going on.

The first thing she heard was Peter say, "The wooden hairbrush is quieter," then he smacked it down again, less forceful.

Elizabeth yelped a second time squirming some. "They hurt the same!" She complained, her voice choked as she was trying not to cry.

"Pipe down or the kids will hear," he warned, unaware that Natalie was smirking, hearing the whole scene. He lifted the hairbrush again and crashed it down twice, once on each cheek, then a little harder on her sit spots.

"OWWW!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she started to cry. "You get in this position and try to keep quiet!"

Peter chuckled. "Do you really think you've had enough? Natalie took hers better than you are right now!" He knew, though, that he was spanking much harder than El had Natalie, but couldn't resist the playful teasing.

"Well good for her " Elizabeth muttered. "She's been spanked more recently than I have."

Peter cleared his throat and said in a more serious tone, "I want to make sure that your guilt is resolved, which means that I'm going to give you the equivalent of what she felt. Which means it's going to hurt a lot." He circled an arm around her waist to keep her in place. "Remind me what this spanking is for, Elizabeth."

She quivered, not liking that he used her full name. "For acting in anger instead of patience and understanding," El answered shakily.

Peter lifted the hairbrush and rained it down against her backside, not giving her a chance to breathe before bringing it down again and again. He spanked her entire bottom and sit spots, then the tops of her thighs, ignoring the yelps and cries.

"OW! OW! OWWWW!" Elizabeth wailed with each swat. "I'm s-sorryyyyyy!"

"Are you learning your lesson?" He asked, still peppering her red bottom with hard swats, holding onto her tight so she wouldn't squirm so much.

"Yes! Yes!" Elizabeth wailed, throwing her hand back to prevent the assault on her backside from continuing. He quickly caught her hand and she squeezed it tight, glad that he'd paused the spanking for a moment. "I won't do it again! Please no more!"

Peter knew his wife was reaching her limit, but she wasn't quite there yet. So he lifted the brush and cracked it down at full force, scolding as he spanked. "No. *CRACK!* More. *CRACK!* Jumping. *CRACK!* To. *CRACK!* Conclusions. *CRACK!* No. *CRACK!* More. *CRACK!* Taking. *CRACK!* Anger. *CRACK!* Out. *CRACK!* On. *CRACK!* The. *CRACK!* Kids. *CRACK!**CRACK!* Do. *CRACK!* You. *CRACK!* Understand? *CRACK!*"

"Yessssss!" El promised, tears streaming down her face as she lay there limply, no more fight in her.

With his wife's bottom sufficiently red, Peter stopped the spanking and set the brush down on their bed. He gently rubbed her bottom, trying to ease some of the sting, though it didn't look like she'd be sitting comfortably for a while. Elizabeth's face was buried into the bedspread, tears flowing freely as she absolved herself from any guilt she'd been feeling.

When her sobs subsided a little, Peter helped his wife up to sit on his lap, holding her close and letting her finish crying into his chest. She snuggled into him trying to calm down, then managed to whisper a weak, "Thank you."

Peter planted a kiss on her teary cheek. "I love you, Hon."

"Love you more, Hon."

Natalie groaned with disappointment that the spanking had stopped, but couldn't help smirking a little as she'd caused two spankings in one day, which was kind of awesome. Too bad she still felt the sour taste of betrayal in the back of her throat.

-x-x-x-x-

The next morning Peter took Allie for their sunrise ride while Natalie and El ate breakfast together in awkward silence. (The preteen couldn't help but notice her foster mom wince as she sat on the hard dining room chair. It was almost hilarious enough to consider forgiveness. Almost.) When they finished the morning activities, Peter and Natalie finished packing the car, El said her final goodbyes to the family, and Allie fed a bucket of sugarcubes to Starlight.

"C'mon little monkey, it's time to go," Peter said once the car was packed.

"I don't want to," Allie said tearfully from the stall. She was laying atop the horse, hugging her.

Peter sighed and smiled. "I know, kiddo. But we have to get back to your dad." He inched towards the little girl and pushed her hair back behind her ear. "We'll come back to see Starlight in the spring. And by then, Moonbeam will be big enough for you to pet and ride."

"But I'll miss them too much," Allie argued softly. "I can call Daddy. I can't call the horsies."

"I'm sure we could figure out a way to videochat with Aunt Marcy, or ask her to send pictures or videos," Peter promised.

Allie pouted. "I'd like that...but I still don't wanna go..."

Dale came over now, shaking Peter's hand and patting Starlight on the neck. "Allie, I'm sorry but I have to take Starlight to get her shoes fixed. It's time for you to get goin' with Peter, okay?"

Allie started to cry more, her tears dripping down onto the horse. She didn't want to go but really needed a hug, so finally reached for Peter.

His arms reached out for her, and he held the little girl tight, rubbing her back to soothe her tears. "We'll be back soon, kiddo."

"Not soon enough," Allie argued through tears as she buried herself into him. "I'm gonna miss our rides."

"I'm going to miss them, too," he admitted, carrying her to Elizabeth, who helped Allie into her car seat.

"It's tough to say goodbye," El said, petting Allie's hair. She looked towards Natalie who was still giving her the silent treatment and said, "Why don't we have a special lunch. Chuck E. Cheese?"

Natalie just rolled her eyes, but Allie brightened up really quick and chirped, "Okay!"

Surprisingly, the ride home was fairly peaceful. Allie was so excited about Chuck E. Cheese that she didn't even bother the preteen for her phone. And Natalie, well, she was too busy checking allllllll of the messages she'd missed over the weekend to even engage in conversation with her family.

One of the best messages Natalie received was from her friend, Adriana, an eighth grader who hung out with high school kids.

 _Look what I got!_ the message said, and in the background, a picture of her new fake ID.

Natalie shook her head, smirking as she typed, _the font size is way too big, they'll know it's fake from a mile away._

 _Is there anything you don't know?!_ Adriana answered, but she knew her friend was smiling and about to hook her up with a badass and illegal job.


	12. Allie & Natalie Out With Friends

_Spanking series, co-written with_ _ **LenniLuvsBrian**_ _, mostly M/f, mostly non-consensual_

 _ **A/N**_ _: It's been a while since we updated, but we have a few new chapters currently in the editing process. Eventually, I may make this the beginning of Part 2 to this series, but for now, I'll keep it with the other chapters. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, faved, and followed so far. You've helped inspire us to keep this going :)_

 ** _Chapter Summary_** _:_ _Still angry at her foster parents for unfairly punishing her, Natty decides to accept a meeting with some high school boys about a potential job opportunity and uses Allie to keep the adults distracted._

-x-x-x-x-

"I arranged the meeting," Natalie's best friend, Adriana, said as they sat by the skate park after school, watching Justin show off for them. After Natalie had pointed out the error in Adriana's fake ID, the high schoolers were allegedly asking about the mysterious mistake-spotter and wanting to see if she was as good as Adriana claimed. "Come to my party on Sunday, and we can skip out to see them."

"Count me in. I'll talk to the feds about it today." She hopped down from the bench and gave her friend a fist bump. "I should get back before they start tracking me." She went to the playground where Allie was playing tag with her friend, Karen. "C'mon Allie! Let's go!" She hadn't exactly asked permission to hang out, just hoped Peter wouldn't mind.

Allie protested but said goodbye to Karen and went to her sister. "Why do we hafta go now?" she demanded. "We were playing!"

"You know how cranky Peter gets if we're not home on time," the preteen responded, taking her little sister in hand and leading her across the street to their bus stop. The man in front of them had a wallet sticking out of his back pocket which tempted Natty to play "find the wallet" again, but she resisted the temptation, instead focusing on the scenery around her.

It was a crisp fall afternoon in Manhattan. School children walked with their parents or nannies down the street, chattering on about their day. The sun was already creeping down lower and lower behind the buildings, a sure sign that daylight savings time was about to end. As the bus came to a screeching halt in front of them, Natalie looked down at her little sister and asked, "You think Neal would take me to a party on Sunday?"

"Sure!" Allie replied, hopping up into the bus. "Can I come, too?"

At first, it didn't seem like a good idea, but as she sat and thought about it, Natalie began to realize how good of a distraction her little sister could be. "You can come only if you take Karen or somebody..."

"Okay! Karen is lots of fun, so she could come with me. I'll ask Daddy when he comes over… he's coming today, right?"

Natty shrugged and messaged him, then glanced out the window as Allie chattered on and on about gym class. She only half-listened to her little sister, finding it hard to keep up as her mind kept wandering to thinking about what would happen in the meeting with the fake ID people. Adriana had said they'd wanted Natty to help make IDs, and that the pay would be really good. But what if her work wasn't good enough? What if someone ended up getting caught and ratting Natty out? Peter would be furious… maybe even angry enough to get rid of her. But he had suggested she sell her art for money, and technically, this was just selling her art. And why would he have any reason to be suspicious of her?

A pit formed in the bottom of Natty's stomach as she remembered the last time someone had been suspicious of her, and how she hadn't even done anything wrong. _I'll show them,_ she said to herself, fists balled up in anger. _If they want to accuse me of always getting into trouble, I'll show them trouble!_

The bus lurched forward in a halt and Allie bolted up, sprinting to the door. Natty had almost been too lost in her thoughts to notice they'd arrived at their stop! She chased after her little sister, the two of them racing home (and Allie winning, of course).

-x-x-x-x-

Neal was pleased that his oldest daughter had built up enough trust to request him as a chaperone for the birthday party, but the ease in which she accepted Allie's plea to join them was enough to pique his suspicions. Lately, the preteen had gotten away with much more, still using the dude ranch fiasco to guilt trip everyone into feeling sorry for her. Surely she intended to get into trouble at this birthday party… but he had no idea what it could be.

-x-x-x-x-

Waiting for the party to arrive felt like torture for the two girls, and as soon as they woke up Sunday morning, they were bouncing off the walls. Even more so when Neal pushed the front door open.

"Are you ready?" he asked, ruffling Natty's hair and scooping Allie into his arms for a hug.

"Yeah!" Allie exclaimed as she hugged him tightly. "Karen's mommy is gonna meet us there and Karen's gonna play arcade games, too!"

Natalie held Adriana's gift up, smiling brightly. "Totally ready. Today is gonna be a blast!" She was a bit nervous, hoping that Neal would stay cool and not embarrass her in front of her friends. There were also butterflies fluttering in her tummy at the idea of meeting the high school kids. She'd subtly encouraged Allie to sneak off and check out the place, which meant that hopefully she and Karen would create enough chaos to keep Neal busy and off her back.

The laser tag arena was a short cab ride away, and the trio reached their destination in no time. Karen and her mother were already outside waiting, which excited Allie so much that she ignored Neal's instruction to wait, instead running up and tackling her best friend in a hug. "We get to play lots of games!" the little girl squealed, jumping up and down as Natalie and Neal approached.

"Allie…" Neal began, half-scolding, but Natty interrupted.

"I'm going to go find my friends. You guys go ahead to the arcade... please," she added, batting her eyelashes.

Neal sighed, understanding but not liking this. "Okay, go ahead, but behave… please."

"I will!" she promised, giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek. "See ya later, Allie!" Natalie ran off towards the laser tag area, finding her group of friends.

Neal turned back to Allie. "You know better than too run off like that, monkey. Don't do that again," he scolded.

The six-year-old was only half listening, unable to contain her excitement. "We get to play in the arcade!" she shrieked.

The adults chatted for a moment then Karen's mom went to run errands, leaving Neal alone with the two six-year-olds. He took each in hand, leading them to the arcade entrance, then gave them a cup of quarters and sent them on their way.

"Let's play this one!" Allie insisted to her friend as they stopped in front of a brightly lit racing game. Without waiting for an answer, Allie sat down in the car seat, only able to reach the pedals with her tiptoes because she was too little. Karen sat at her side and they shoved the quarters in, picking the prettiest cars and beginning to race. Both were pretty terrible, running into almost everything, which just caused more giggles to erupt.

After racing, they zoomed over to dance, then to basketball, then to skeeball. Each game provided the same genuine excitement and laughter, the girls so absorbed it was almost impossible to pry them away for pizza and rock wall climbing.

"Are you having fun, little monkey?" Neal asked, sitting the pan of pizza in front of the girls.

"Lots of fun!" Allie enthused. "Right Karen?"

"Right!" Karen agreed as she took a bite of her cheesy slice. "We should go climbing next!"

"Okay!" Allie agreed. "I like to climb! I bet I can climb the highest!"

"No, I'm gonna climb higher!" Karen insisted.

Neal chuckled as the two girls chattered away. When they finally finished eating, everyone cleaned up, then they raced to the kid's rock wall arena. A grin spread across the girls' faces as they caught sight of the 30-foot blue walls, rocks close together to accommodate their little legs. A dozen or so children waited in line, watching the group of four older kids currently attached to the harnesses, testing their skill. "C'mon!" Allie said, grabbing Neal's hand and dragging him to the end of the line.

They'd only been there a few seconds when Neal's phone rang. It was his girlfriend, Sarah, calling about a case they were working on together. Since the conversation would warrant some privacy, he excused himself from the girls and sauntered to the back of the room, watching them from a distance. He had intended to only chat for a minute, but Sarah was in a panic about the stolen piece they were trying to find.

In the middle of trying to calm his girlfriend down, he noticed Allie had already reached the front of the line and was being fitted into the harness. "Daddy! Watch how fast I can go!" she yelled.

Neal smiled and waved, paying attention but a little more focused on his phone call.

"Eat my dust, Karen," Allie teased, then began soaring up the wall. She reached high in the air, searching for the rocks that stuck out the most or that were a little rougher so she could easily pull herself up. Her feet mostly dangled as she relied almost solely on upper body strength, only standing on a rock as an afterthought. Karen was almost a replica of Allie, holding her own in the race, but of course, losing.

When they reached the top, they clanged their bells, then Karen said, "We should ditch the old man and go exploring!"

"I don't know," Allie said hesitating a little. "People don't like when I run off."

"But he's not even paying attention," Karen replied. "He's too busy making smoochy faces at somebody on the phone." She puckered up her lips and made loud smacking sounds.

"Shut up! He's not smoochin' anybody 'cept me!"

Each girl was tossed back over the wall, then lowered to the ground. As she rappelled to the floor, thoughts swirled through Allie's brain. Was her daddy really making smoochy faces as Karen said? He had seemed a little smitten lately. What if there was some evil lady who wanted to take him away? And what if the witch succeeded and left Allie all alone with grouchy Peter?! She wouldn't be able to handle that!

When she landed on the floor and noticed Neal grinning into the phone, Karen's idea to go off on an exploring adventure was starting to look more appealing. So when the workers helped the girls out of their harnesses, Allie asked her friend, "We'll be back before he knows we're gone?"

"Sure! Come on!" Karen giggled and skipped away, certain that her best friend would follow.

Allie glanced back at Neal and pushed any thoughts of getting spanked out of her mind, then ran after Karen. "Wait for me!"

The two girls went back through the arcade towards the laser tag. "That's where your sister went, right?" Karen asked. They inched towards the swinging doors and poked their heads inside, only to see scary zombie-like figures scattered throughout a room. "AHHHHHHH!" they screamed, running out of the room.

"Why would Natty wanna go in there!?" Allie exclaimed. "That's super scary!"

They continued on, dodging people and giggling.

Somehow they wandered right into an escape room, Alice in Wonderland themed. "Wooooooow!" Karen said. She ran her fingers over the plastic figurines and scanned the room in awe. There were different puzzles scattered around. Drawings adorned the walls, and a checkered black-and-white pattern covered the floor, stopping only at the plastic purple mushrooms.

Suddenly, a loud SLAM! echoed behind them. Both girls gasped and Allie hurried to the door, tugging at it. "We're stuck!" she declared as she yanked and yanked, yet the door wouldn't budge. "How do we get out?!"

Karen noticed a numbered keypad near the door handle. "I think we have to figure out the answer, but I'm not too good at puzzles."

-x-x-x-x-

Meanwhile, Natalie and friends had finished up their games of laser tag, and groups of pre-teens sat scattered in the private party room, awaiting the pizza arrival. A thin finger poked the pre-teen on the arm, and she turned to see Adriana. "Psst, hey, let's go while everyone's distracted."

The aroma of pepperoni drifted into the room as a woman entered with a tray of three pies, instantly prompting a crowd to form around the serving table, conveniently located opposite the exit. Natty had almost considered backing out of the idea to meet with Adriana's high school friends, but like always, curiosity got the best of her and the two girls slipped outside.

"We have to get back quick, so Neal doesn't notice I'm gone," Natty said, not exactly worried but not wanting to deal with the hassle.

"No problem, I got you." Adriana walked a little faster as they passed by a blue car, then crossed the street.

 _Hmmm that car looks familiar_ , Natalie said to herself, but ignored it and followed her best friend down the street.

Leaves crunched under their feet as they walked a couple of blocks, finally arriving at a wall of graffiti. Four young men with flat-billed blue Yankees cap stood huddled on the street corner, one of them smoking a cigarette. They wore puffy jackets with the hoods up, and their jeans sagged underneath their butts, a style Natalie had yet to understand. Adriana greeted them all with "secret" handshakes, then introduced Natty.

"So this is the girl who knows everything about IDs?" the cigarette guy, called Billy, asked.

Adriana nodded. "Yup, ask her anything."

He looked Natty up and down, smirking slightly and blowing a little smoke in her face. Natty wasn't sure if it was intentional or not but made sure not to flinch as he sized her up. "She sure is a young'un. How old are you, kid?"

"None of your business."

Natty's matter-of-fact tone caused laughter among the guys, and Billy shook his head as he took a long drag off his cigarette. "You can't be older than fifteen," he said, blowing the smoke right on Natty again then reaching in his pocket to pull out a stack of IDs. "But since you think you're so smart... Pick out the fake one."

The preteen snatched the plastic from his hands and flipped through them all, shaking her head at the amateur work. How were counterfeiters so bad at this?

"These are all shit," she said, handing them back to him. Pointing to the top of the stack, she said, "the birthday is printed wrong, and the guy in that picture does not look like he's 32." The guy smirked at her and was about to say something when Natalie interrupted him. "The one from Connecticut is just as bad... the color is too red, it should be more pinkish, and faded a little, not in-your-face-red. And... I don't even know where to begin with the one from Rhode Island. I really hope you didn't pay someone to make these for you. I could make IDs better than this in my sleep."

Natty looked back up at the group of guys, mouths dropped as they stared at her.

"I told you she was good," Adriana bragged.

One of the guys in the back piped up, "She's not a narc is she?"

"Of course not! Do you really think I'd set you up?"

Before he could answer, Billy turned towards Natty and said, "I think I could have some work for you if you're up for it. Hit me up sometime." He put his number in Natty's phone then gave her a wink as the girls said goodbye and scurried back to the party.

-x-x-x-x-

Neal was so preoccupied with trying to find Allie that it didn't even occur to him that his oldest daughter could also be missing. He was frantic with worry, checking every corridor and cranny for the little monkey. Half the staff had been forced to help him with the search, but so far, no luck.

Back in the escape room, Allie had managed to figure out almost all the clues (or at least made good guesses) and was finally on the last one. "Gosh darn it!" she swore as she fiddled with the puzzle pieces. "Karen! Can you stop and help me _please_?"

The impatience to get out of there was beginning to turn into frustration with Karen, who spent more time climbing the plastic mushrooms than actually helping solve the puzzles.

"Sorry!" chirped Karen, then she skipped back to Allie and squinted her eyes at the symbols. "What if you do this?" She then swapped around some of the tiles and POP! The final lock opened.

"We did it!" Allie shrieked and the two girls screamed and jumped, clapping excitedly. Allie opened the lockbox and dug out the final code, then took Karen's hand and ran over to the door. Allie did the honors of punching in the numbers, then the door swung open like magic.

After a mini-celebration, the girls went to find Neal and the rock wall again. At first, it looked like they'd found it… except this room was deserted, and the walls looked a little different. Allie's eyes fell on a sign with big bold letters: ADULTS (18+) ONLY. NO CLIMBING WITHOUT SUPERVISION.

She peered up in awe at the adult walls - they had to be twice as tall as the kid walls!

As if reading Allie's mind, Karen shouted, "Race you to the top!" then bolted to the base and began climbing. She ignored the fact that they didn't have the helmets or harnesses like earlier. They were both monkeys... they could make it safely to the top!

Only a second behind, Allie scurried after her. "I'm gonna win!" she insisted. "I'm a better monkey!"

Using her arms, she swiftly pulled herself up onto the wall. Carefully maneuvering so that each rock chosen was large enough for her little hands to grip tightly, she made her way towards the top.

Karen squealed in excitement as they climbed, taunting one another on their way up higher and higher. "I'm a better climber than you! I'm winning!"

"Not for long!" the other girl's voice rang out as she reached up for another grip. "I'm faster!" Which she proved by quickly reaching her friend. They giggled as they continued on their journey to reach the bell.

It's uncertain who the initial person was to see the little girls' freebase climbing, but within seconds a huge crowd had formed. Natty and friends were among the first to point and stare in shock, exclaiming, "Wow! Your sis is badass!"

Neal saw the crowd and got a bad feeling that this had something to do with Allie. Racing to the arena, he nearly panicked seeing the two girls almost at the top. _You've gotta be fucking kidding me…_

"I win!" Allie declared. "I told you I was faster!"

Karen giggled. "You won 'cause I got stuck once."

The adrenaline rush had them both giggling and out of breath, enjoying the last few seconds of ignorance to the fact that they'd been caught.

It wasn't until Natty shouted, "WAY TO GO ALLIE!" that the monkeys started regretting what they'd done.

First was Karen. "Um… How do we get down? We don't have a rope!"

"Oh no, Daddy saw us!" was all Allie could respond as her blue eyes filled with tears. She could see her dad down there talking to a worker and pointing at them. Of course he would save them - Neal always saved them! But was he going to spank her? Or worse, what if he told Peter? Maybe the better option would be just staying up there!

"Don't you girls move!" one man who looked like a manager called up. "We're coming to get you down!"

Eventually a pair of workers reached the girls and held onto them tight as they were dropped back down to the ground. Soon as their feet touched the floor, applause erupted from the onlookers. Allie and Karen went to run off again, only to be stopped by Neal instead, who looked anything but impressed.

"Hi, Daddy..." Allie said innocently.

"What the hell was that? I know you saw the 'adults only' sign."

Allie took a step back, but Neal reached for each girl's upper arm and began hauling them through the arena, past the group of middle schoolers, through the concession area and arcade, then finally to the building entrance. "Karen, I've already called your mom. She's on her way." He ignored the gasps and whines, continuing his speech. "And we're going to have a discussion, monkey. You know not to run off like that!"

"We were just exploring… you didn't have to call Karen's mommy!" Allie insisted, folding her arms in a huff. "And I'm not discussing anything."

There was no use arguing with her, so instead, he escorted them outside where they waited for Karen's mom. Though the girls were busy whining and saying mean things about Neal, he preoccupied himself with trying to figure out where he'd seen that blue car before. It'd certainly been trailing them today, and he wondered how dangerous it could be. And those thoughts consumed him until Karen's mom came up, apologizing profusely and scolding the little girl. He was glad to get her gone. Now to deal with his own. "Let's get your sister and go home."

"You're not being fair!" Allie argued. "Natty's gonna be mad you made her leave!" Her foot stomped the ground for emphasis. In the back of her mind, she knew she was pushing it, but the memory of Neal's phone smooching was fresh, and the idea of a witch taking him away made her so angry. "I'm not going home! You can't make me!" Little hands reached out to shove him away.

Neal stooped to the little one's level and held her arms. "Stop this tantrum," he warned.

Trying to yank herself free, she yelled at him, "You're not the boss of me! I wanna play more games!" When he wouldn't let go, she finally spat at him, blinded by rage.

Blinking, more stunned than angry, Neal wiped his face then took her by the arm back inside. There was a family restroom and he hauled her in, locking the door behind them. Folding his arms he looked down at his youngest daughter.

Without missing a beat, Allie mimicked his angry stance and glare. "Quit being a jerk! We were having fun and you ruined it all!" Forgetting the techniques she had been taught to use when angry, she continued to shout at him. "Karen and I weren't done playing! You didn't have to be a meanie-head and call her mom! I hate you!"

Having rarely seen this side of her, Neal felt a bit uneasy in reacting so firmly but knew that Peter expected him to be strict with Allie's tantrums. So he grabbed her by the upper arm and planted a few hearty swats to her backside. "Remember what I said last time you put yourself in danger?" he asked, still smacking her jean-clad bum.

"Ow! Ow! Owww!" Allie yelped, her eyes suddenly filling with tears as she tried to squirm away. She threw her free hand back to try and block the smacks that were raining down. "No...I don't remember..."

"I told you that any time you put your life in danger you're going to get a hard spanking. Now we can either do this at home, or in here and then again at home. Your choice." Some more swats slapped down onto her backside.

"I don't want a spanking!" Allie wailed still trying to get away. "I wanna play the games!"

"No more games. I warned you not to run off from me and you did anyway. Those are your choices Allie: spanking at home or spanking here, then later at home."

"I only ran off 'cause you were smoochin' on the phone! And I told Karen not to go but she wouldn't listen!" Allie exclaimed.

Cocking his head to the side, Neal asked, "What are you talking about?"

"She wanted to go exploring, and I told her we shouldn't."

"I'm glad you told her, but you still went off and put yourself in danger." A couple more hearty swats landed upon her bottom.

Allie glared up at him through watery eyes. "I couldn't just let her go alone! She's my friend! She never woulda got outta that room without me!"

"I don't want to hear any more excuses, monkey." He glanced at his watch to see that Natalie's party was almost over, so he'd have to do something about Allie soon. "What will it be, kiddo? Are you going to behave?"

Allie stomped her foot starting to feel angry again. Her bottom had already been smacked enough as far as she was concerned. "I was telling you what happened! Quit being a meanie-head! I wanna play more games!"

That answered his question well enough. Neal picked the little girl up and put her over his shoulder, tugging down her pants and panties and landing a flurry of hard swats. "That's enough of this tantrum, Allie!" he scolded, feeling a lot like Peter. "You ran off from me and put your life in danger. What if you had fallen from the rock wall?"

Allie shrieked as she tried to throw her hands back but this position made it hard to do so. "OWWWWWWWW!" she immediately started to cry. "I wasn't gonna fall! I'm a good climberrrrr!"

"I don't care if you're a professional, you don't run away from me and practice extreme sports without the protection!" He started spanking her sit spots now, feeling her fists pound into his shoulder blades.

Allie tried to kick but with him holding her legs she couldn't really do that either. "Stoooooop! It huuuuuurts!" she wailed loudly. "Daddyyyyy! I'll be good!"

"Are you going to walk out of here like a big girl?" he asked, pausing the spanking for a moment.

Tears streamed down her face and she wanted him to stop but knew her fists would likely swing at him once set down, so she hesitated, unsure if she could be a big girl right then.

Neal took her silence as noncompliance and started spanking again, slapping her already-pink bum until the little girl was squirming like crazy. He held onto her legs tight with his left hand and now spanked the tops of her thighs.

Allie wailed even louder. "I'm sorryyyyyy!" she sobbed. "No more Daddy! No more!" She hiccuped a little, her fists grasping his shirt. "I'll be a big girrrrrrl!"

He gave her two final hard pops to the thighs and readjusted her pants and panties, then set her on the floor.

Allie stood there sobbing, fat tears streaming down her small face. Her hands immediately went to her backside, rubbing her bottom.

"No more tantrums, Allie," he told her seriously as he crouched down to look her in the eyes. "Understand?"

A nod was given in mostly silence, the only sound some sniffling.

Neal sighed as he lifted her so she could reach the sink and wash her face, then he escorted her out. Keeping a tight grip on her hand, he found Natalie who waved goodbye to her friends. "Wow Allie that was some climbing you did!" Natalie gushed, unaware of the events that had just transpired.

Allie whimpered a little, her free hand reaching back to rub her bottom some more. "It was dangerous..." she recited, her voice cracking a little.

They waited for a cab and Natalie jabbered about how much fun she'd had. She didn't notice Allie's discomfort, only the weird feeling of being the center of the conversation with her little sister around. But that didn't stop her - she chattered on and on until the green taxi pulled up and a small group of young men walked past them. "Hey, that's the girl!"

"See ya later, genius!" Billy called out, more flirtatious than taunting.

Natalie blushed and ducked into the car, Neal and Allie following shortly after.

Eyebrows raised in suspicion, Neal asked after closing the door, "Who are they? How do you know them?"

"Just some guys," Natalie said, wanting this conversation to be over, so plugging her ears with screamy music. The last thing she needed was her dad finding out about the fake IDs.

Neal frowned a little, reciting the address to the taxi driver and stowing away the thought that he'd need to discuss these boys with Peter later. He then focused his attention on his youngest, who sat next to him pouting. Stretching his arm over her shoulder he said, "Monkey, I'm sorry we had to leave but you broke the rules and you know what happens when you break the rules."

"It's not fair! And Karen's not even gonna get a spanking and it was her idea! You shoulda spanked her too!" She turned away huffing, lower lip poked out in a pout.

A slight chuckle escape. "I can't spank your friend, she's not my daughter. Her mom is the one responsible for punishing her, not me."

Allie shot him a vicious glare. That was not the answer she was looking for! "Well her mommy shoulda let you! Then Karen would listen to me next time!" Her angry little legs kicked the seat in front of her, not on purpose, just the result of having to try and sit still with all the rage inside. "And if YOU weren't on your phone then Karen wouldn't have even thought of running off!"

The little girl's shrieking caused the driver to glance in the mirror back at the scene. "Monkey," in the calmest voice he could muster, "that's not an excuse for running off. Settle down. We'll talk about it with Peter when we get home."

"I DON'T WANNA TALK TO PETER ABOUT IT!"

Taking a deep breath, Neal looked over at Natalie, somewhat jealous of her oblivion to the situation. If anyone could calm the little girl down, it was her, so he plucked one of the earphones out of her ear and said, "My turn to listen... hand it over."

She glared at him but realized he was serious. One of the rules for having a phone was that it was Peter's phone since he was paying for it. And since it was Peter's phone that meant that any time he, El, or Neal wanted it, she had to hand it over. "Fine," she said and passed it to him, hoping he didn't find the suggestive message she had been sending her boyfriend on Snapchat. He was old though. He probably didn't know how to use Snapchat.

Neal cringed when he heard the growling vocals accompanied with distorted stringed instruments but now understood why Natty had been in another world. Knowing she didn't have any other type of music on her phone, he instead opted to mute her playlist and snoop around a bit - maybe he'd be able to find some evidence of those little gangbangers from earlier.

"What's his problem?" Natalie asked her little sister when she finally gave up on getting her phone back.

Allie glared at him then glanced at her sister. "I'm mad at him!" she declared, then explained the whole story and calling her father some very colorful names in the process. The anger eventually faded to sadness, big tears streaming down the 6-year-old's cheeks.

Until then, Neal had done a good job of ignoring the girls' conversation, too busy skimming through the encrypted teen-speak messages. But once the little one was crying, he softened up and couldn't help reacting. Arms open, he allowed Allie to fall into his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, Daddy..." came the meek voice. Her head was bowed in shame and she sniffled, realizing how much trouble she was in.

"Are you?"

She gave a slight nod, daring to peer up and make brief eye contact. "I shoulda listened and not run off."

Neal stayed quiet as they pulled up to his house. He paid the driver, then led his girls inside leaving Natalie in the living room with her phone as he dealt with Allie in the guest room.

"We need to talk about what happened today."

Lower lip trembling, Allie whimpered, "I don't wanna talk...my bum always hurts after a talk..."

"And it's going to hurt this time, too, but we have to talk about it because you did something dangerous."

"That's not fair!" Her little voice whined, hands covering her bum. "I'm not the only one who ran off!"

Neal grumbled. "Karen doesn't sound like a very good friend."

"She's fun," Allie insisted. "I'll do better to keep her outta trouble."

"So what are you going to do next time she tries to convince you to do something you're not supposed to?"

"Tell her not to and get a grown up?" Allie suggested.

Neal nodded. "Exactly. Or figure out another way. But do NOT do something dangerous like climb up the rock wall without equipment."

"I climb trees with no equipment," Allie pointed out. "And park stuff too."

"That's different - it's not as high up, and adults are around."

"Oh," Allie said softly. "Did I scare you, Daddy? I didn't mean to."

"Of course you scared me. What would I do without my little monkey?"

Allie moved to hug him. "I'm not going nowhere."

"So you better learn to stand up to Karen... be a leader, not a follower." He wrapped his arms around her.

"I'll do my bestest," Allie assured him. "Love you, Daddy. "

"Love you, too, monkey." He glanced at the ruler he'd left lying on the dresser. "Last time you put your life in danger, I told you that you'll get it with the ruler any time you do something dangerous, remember?"

Allie frowned. "But Daddy, I don't like the ruler. It hurts lots and lots..."

"It's to help you remember to make better choices," he recited, feeling like he'd heard Peter say the same thing a million times.

"I can remember without the ruler," Allie insisted. "And I can remember without the spoon, too."

"Apparently not or you wouldn't have misbehaved today," Neal reminded. He reached for the wooden object and nudged his little one. "Come on, let's get this over with."

"But I don't wanna!" Allie plopped down onto the floor and sat with her arms crossed, pouting. She didn't want her tummy to hurt again but she didn't want the ruler either.

"I'll give you some time to think about it." Truthfully, he needed a minute away from Allie to just clear his head, and he also wanted to ask Sarah if she knew anything about the blue car...

Allie's tearful blue eyes followed her father's shoes as he stepped out of the room. She sat there for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. A chill went down her spine every time she saw the ugly wooden ruler laying there. She hated how her bottom ached after an encounter with it and wished there was a way to avoid the evil thing at all cost. She briefly wondered if she could hide it, but then remembered the time she'd tried to hide the spoon.

Meanwhile, Neal had gone outside for fresh air (having given Natty strict instructions to keep an eye on Allie) and chatted with Sarah for a bit. When he felt calmer, he hurried back inside. Before going to deal with the youngest, Neal caught sight of Natty punching away at her phone screen, sitting in the exact same spot as when they'd arrived home. "Did you see anything suspicious today?"

The preteen didn't look up from her device. "Nope."

"And those guys flirting with you?"

Her cheeks reddened, but she was able to contain her embarrassment so that her voice didn't crack when she said, "just some high schoolers. A friend's older brother."

A smirk spread across Neal's face. "You know if you need to talk about stuff… about boys… and don't feel like you can talk to El, you can talk to me."

For the first time, Natty looked up, eyes wide with embarrassment. "Ewwww! Dad! Gross!" Then giggled.

And that helped calm his concerns about Natalie.

With a deep breath, Neal pushed open the guest room door and looked down at the 6-year-old who was now lying down on the floor but looking a little less defiant.

The door clicking shut prompted Allie to glance up at her daddy. The way he towered over her made it seem like he was a giant, which was all the more intimidating because she knew the stupid ruler was coming next. Just the idea of it made her stomach do somersaults. "My tummy hurts."

"Does that mean you're ready to get this over with?"

Allie pushed herself up and hugged his leg, giving a timid nod. Then she felt his hands under her armpits and she was lifted from the ground, now latched onto his side.

"I know Peter's punished you for running off before," Neal scolded as he sat down on the bed, pulling her onto his lap. "You know better than this Alliecat."

They sat like that in silence, Allie's face buried into his chest, until she gave a muffled, "I'm sorry."

Neal lifted her chin so she'd look him in the eyes. "This is the last time you run off like that, okay monkey?"

She nodded but then asked, "What if I forget again?"

"Then the spanking will be much worse."

"I don't like the sounds of that. What could be worse than the ruler?"

"Hopefully we won't have to find out." He then helped the trembling girl over his lap, tugging Allie's pants and panties to her knees.

Suddenly she didn't feel so ready to get this over with anymore. "I'm sorry Daddy...!" came her final plea.

"I know you are." He then circled around her waist and began the spanking. At first, he delivered a few mild swats with his hand, already causing the little girl to squirm and cry out.

"Owwwwwww…. Daddyyyy…! I'll be gooooood!"

He tightened his grip, peppering her sit spots a bit. "No more running off, Monkey. And no more letting Karen pressure you into doing something you know is wrong."

"I won't!" she promised.

He alternated between her cheeks and sit spots, making sure they were an even shade of pink before pausing for a moment. "And no more putting your life in danger." Taking the ruler, he thwacked it against her pink bottom, only giving her a second to breathe before crashing it down again and again.

Allie howled as her legs began to kick. "OWWWWWW!" She threw her hand back, a pitiful attempt to block this assault on her backside.

He caught her hand and pinned it to the small of her back, peppering her bottom and sit spots with a few more stingy swats. "You can't just go wandering off on your arm and going places that are off-limits."

Kicking more and bucking up a little, Allie squealed, "I'm sorryyyyy! I'm sorryyyy!" Her pink pants flew off her legs as she kicked, her Barbie panties following them shortly after.

"Do you understand why you aren't supposed to run off?" he asked, giving her a brief break from the barrage of spanks.

"I could get lost or hurt," Allie sobbed.

Satisfied with that answer, he popped her sit spots and thighs a few more times with the ruler, then moved his way back up to her bottom. Her kicks were becoming too much so he threw a leg over hers. "Almost finished, Alliecat," he said. "I want you to remember how much this hurts next time you think of running off."

Her sobs echoed through the room. "No more! No more!"

"Your final six," he promised. Holding onto her tight, he delivered the first hard SMACK! with the ruler.

Allie screeched loudly, her small body writhing about on his lap as she tried to escape. "OWWWWWW!"

The next two he planted on her red bottom one after the other, without time to breathe between them causing her to howl even louder. Her sobs were heartbreaking and loud enough to wake the dead, as her tiny frame shook with each one.

Her cries were starting to crack Neal's tough-guy exterior. "Halfway there," he said aloud, whether more of a pep talk for himself or for Allie, he wasn't sure.

The fourth and fifth swats were on her sit spots, and then he gave the final loud POP! in the center of her bottom.

Allie let loose a high-pitched shriek with each swat and just lay there sobbing when he finished.

Almost immediately, Neal scooped her up into his arms and in for a hug. He wasn't good at enforcing consequences for the little girl but wanted to be consistent like Peter and Elizabeth had requested. According to the foster parents, the girls needed rules and discipline, something Neal hadn't had much of growing up, and something he wasn't sure he agreed with. But for now, he had to do as the foster parents preferred.

Allie buried herself into him as her body shook with each sob. "I'm sorryyyyyy..." she hiccuped and clung to him.

"I need you to show me that you're sorry by not running off anymore."

The little girl nodded, face pressed against his tear-soaked shirt. They sat like that for a few minutes as Allie's sobs died down to sniffles, and she finally felt okay enough to ask him about what Karen had said earlier.

"Daddy… are you gonna leave someday? Like, run off with some witch?"

"Of course not, monkey. Where is this coming from?"

Allie shrugged and bit on her lower lip. "Karen said you were smoochin' on the phone earlier."

Ignoring the pang in his chest at the thought of how Allie would handle his being in a romantic relationship, Neal finally decided to do something about the "best friend" of his little girl. "You know, I think I'll have a talk with Karen's mom about giving her a good spanking."

"Sheesh, finally! It's only fair!"

-x-x-x-x-

It was already dark outside when the trio burst into the living room of the girls' foster home. Peter was sitting on the sofa, paperwork spread out in front of him as he stared into space, undoubtedly trying to piece together clues. Not even Neal's joyous greeting or the door slamming could break his concentration.

"You're later than expected," El said, sauntering downstairs. "Did you girls have fun?"

"It was AWESOME!" Natty gushed, then babbled for a solid five minutes in an uncharacteristically enthusiastic voice.

That's what caught Peter's attention.

But El was more concerned with something that was missing - Allie's voice! Her motherly instinct told her that the little one had gotten in trouble.

After small talk and story-telling, Natty bolted upstairs to her room, leaving the door cracked in curiosity if Allie was going to get in more trouble. She listened as Neal explained what had happened, rolling her eyes at El's lecture and Peter's disapproving grunts. A few minutes of that, then she heard the patter of her sister's footsteps, and El's following shortly after. It was bath time, and Allie was eerily compliant.

Natty was about to go back downstairs to turn her phone into Peter for the night when she heard her name.

"I've got a bad feeling about Natalie," Neal was saying.

The preteen inched closer to the door, heart thumping loudly.

Peter spoke next: "Something's off with her. I'll keep an eye out but let's not jump to conclusions."

"Maybe it's time to turn the tracker on."

Natty froze. It felt like a shard of ice had been shoved into her chest. Just as she was starting to get along with them again, they wanted to go and invade her privacy again? Well, two could play at that game.

Fueled by her rage and betrayal, not thinking in the least, the preteen opened Snapchat, clicked on her message with Adriana and typed: _tell them im in._


End file.
